Rocky Mountain Hero
by fordcountrygirl
Summary: Alleria Takarov thought she'd left her life of danger and deception behind. When she's pulled back in James bond is sent to protect her. Will they be able to melt the ice around each other hearts or will fate and someones thirst for blood stop it to soon?
1. Chapter 1

_Okay; so this it my first James Bond fic so don't hate me if it sucks. I started it before I saw Quantom of Solace by the way so if things aren't up to speed I apologize. Also I wrote this pretty late at night so if it may not seem to all fit together I apologize again. Just one of those nights were you can't sleep so you find something to do but your brain may not function completely. I'm only going to post two chapters for now and see how things go. If I get too many flames for it then I won't continue. Again I'm new with this whole aspect so be gentle. _

_I own nothing dealing with Casino Royale, Quantom of Solace, or any other movie I may mention. Everything is completely made up so please for those of you out there who may think it's real; it's not. _

_Thanks for reading and reviews are welcome._

_Enjoy!_

_Chapter One_

"_I was quite enjoying my time off M." The young double oh' planted his self in the chair across from hers. "Was it really necessary to call me back?"_

"_Stop being such an ass Bond." The older woman looked up from the file she'd been reading. "You and I both know you hate being on holiday."_

"_That was a while ago; things have changed," He pointed out._

'_Yes they have; but that's not one of them." M eyed him thoughtfully. "Besides this has nothing to do with MI6."_

"_Really?" James was curious. "In that case I'm all ears."_

"_This non cholant act of yours is already getting old." M informed. "And it's a personal favor to me. Something that no one else is to know about."_

_There had been times before when she'd had him do __assignments _that no one needed to know about. But something in her eyes; in her voice told him that this time it was different. That it was one hundred percent personal. Which also told him that if anyone else was good enough to do the job she'd rather have them then him. But in the end she knew he would do whatever it took she see that things went the way they were suppose to.

Though he wasn't so sure he wanted to get involved in another one of these given what had happened to them over the last year he felt he owed it to her. She'd saved his career on more then one occasion. Had helped him see that Vesper had cared about him; had taken her own life in order to save his. It had taken a lot of lives and brooding to get it through his head.

"What is it this time?" James questioned. "Please don't tell me stopping another terrorist. I don't think I can deal with many more of those."

Dropping a file on his side of the desk M sat back in her chair. "Her name is Alleria Takarov. Ex American Intelligence officer. There have been some attempts on her life in the last month. The first I'm not too concerned about. However someone did try to run her car off the road then come back once it was done to make sure she was dead. And the third time someone tried to blow up her house. We believe their connected to the work she use to do considering most of it is classified even beyond my clearance level."

Already he knew where this was going. She was going to want him to play baby sitter. Something he had only done twice and hated it both times. None the less he reminded his self; he owed her.

Opening the file he noticed right off the bat that there was no picture with her dossier. So either she was extremely unattractive or hated having her picture taken. Either way it didn't matter to him. Eyes going to the information laid out he was surprised to see that more he read the more he became impressed.

Three years in the American Marines she was recruited by the CIA; and agencies that no one was suppose to know about; ten years ago. Having served two tours overseas with a recon force she had received the Medal of Valor, Medal of Honor, purple heart, and silver star. Trained in disarming bombs; several types of weapons and a list of martial arts about as long as his forearm she was a government agencies wet dream.

Flipping up one page he noticed that the reason she left wasn't listed. Normally that wouldn't sit well with him but given the nature of his work he could understand when something needed to be kept off the record. At least off the ones that everyone and their brother with a moderate security level would have access to.

"With skills like this she could take on a group of twenty men or more and come out without a scratch." James offered his opinion. "Why give her a protection detail?"

"The one time I don't expect you to ask any questions and you go and disappoint me." M rested her head against the back of her chair.

"You telling me that let's me know that this is more then personal for you. It's _personal." _James emphasized the last word.

"Given our recent history I'd say you have a right to know." M agreed. " I've come to believe that there are people in the upper echelons of American Intelligence that can not to be trusted with this. Though she hasn't been in completing hiding since leaving she has kept a reasonably low profile. It would be difficult to find her unless you were someone of great importance or willing to put in a lot of man hours. And because of the nature of her job they are privy to information most people are not. Which in turn means I can't be sure that keeping her safe will be their top priority. "

"I sense there's something more." James prompted.

"She's also my only niece." M confessed. " My brother Paul's only child."

"Given the fact that your brother is British and I'm surmising her mother Romanian it begs the question of how did she come to work for the American's?" James pondered. "Don't you have to be a citizen to work for their intelligence network?"

"My brother was MI6; Katariana, her mother; was Romanian secret police. Both very well adapted in their careers." M explained. "Their work for both services regarding terrorism caught the attention of the president of the United States and his people. They were asked to join with American Intelligence on a temporary basis. But when they saw things getting done decided to ask them on permanently. Both were given citizenship status. Hence the reason why Alleria was able to follow in their footsteps. As soon as Hunter; the CIA director at the time; found out she had declined their offer and joined the marines he pulled out all the stops to get her to join. Finally she did."

"Does she regret it now that it's come back to bit her on the ass?" James wondered.

"Honestly I couldn't tell you." M shrugged. " As far as she's concerned I know nothing about the attempts made on her life. But a fair warning Bond when she does find out my plan; and that you're involved; they'll be hell to pay."

_I swear that woman has esp sometimes, _Alleria quipped.

Making her way through the small lobby and hallway to the elevator used specifically for those employed by MI6 the young woman didn't know why she was so surprised that her Aunt had called to say that she would like her to stop in for a talk while she was in London.

Having been there several times both as a niece and Intelligence agent those who were acting non cholant as they guarded the elevator were use to seeing her and gave no more then a small wave and nod of the head as she stepped into the small space and pushed the button for the floor to MI6 headquarters.

Despite the fact that she was going on thirty five years old and had been in danger more times then she cared to remember M still kept tabs on her like a hawk. Being the director of the majesty's secret service; the equivalent of the CIA and other agencies that no one really knew about; gave her access to all sorts of privileged information. Like the time she'd called to tell the young Romanian woman not to go too wild and crazy while on liberty after her first tour back from overseas. She'd just confirmed the plans for Cabo San Lucas fifteen minutes before the phone had rang.

Though she'd gotten her out of more sticky situations then she cared to admit. Had been there for her when the man she'd thought she'd known; thought she'd loved; betrayed her it was becoming a bit ridiculous. After her parents had passed away; god rest their souls; it had gotten to the point of being unbearable. Protecting her from the world this late in the game was pretty damn worthless as far as she was concerned.

Having been stabbed, shot at, blown up, and a number of other unsavory things over the years Alleria was use to cheating death. Was use to living her life on the edge and up until about three years ago had liked it that way very much. But the _normal _part of her life had somehow intertwined with the career part and things had never been the same. Thankfully a long talk with the older woman had straightened things out. Or so she'd thought until she'd gotten a phone call from her when heading back to her hotel from a friends house.

A quick trip to the rainy city had been her first stop before heading to Colorado and her favorite resort for a month or so of R and R. Friends that still lived here from her time working with MI6 she'd kept in touch with them over the years and promised that as soon as she was able she'd come to visit. Now that she was no longer under the governments thumb it was easier to travel. To have time to do things; go places without worrying about completing a mission.

Actually she should probably retract part of that statement. She was still under their thumb to a certain extent. Even though she'd never been considered a traitor; would never even think of becoming one; they still looked her up from time to time. Being privy to as much sensitive material as she had been when she was an agent it was easy to believe that if possible she could sell that information to the highest bidder and make _a lot _of money.

Thankfully she had a conscious; and courtesy of the agency; more then enough money to keep her comfortable for the rest of her life even if she spent it like a fiend. Besides America had been extremely good to both her and her parents. Why do something to a nation that had given her one; well two; of the greatest jobs she could ever think of. Though due to her thick accent she had gotten some strange looks after nine- eleven when going through the airports.

Bottom line was she would never betray what she considered her country and was curious as all get out about why her Aunt wanted to see her so bad. Planning to see her anyway before she headed out the older woman had been so busy that Alleria was beginning to think that she should call and chat with her on the phone then try to actually see her on another visit. Then she'd received the call from her and decided to extend her stay another day.

Stepping out of the elevator she started down the hall; the sound of her hiking boots muffled by the plush dark blue carpet that filled the hallway. Another thought dawned on her as she placed her bag and belt in the plastic bucket on the conveyor that stood beside the metal detector. Had the American government done a check on her in the last month or so and found out about the attempts on her life? Then called M when they feared she was more danger then she was admitting to?

Taking off her boots and placing them with the rest of her things she tried to recall any strange visits that she'd had over the last month or so. The only thing that remotely popped into her head was when she'd gone to the CIA headquarters in Langley for her yearly review. Again though she was no longer with the Intelligence community she was considered high risk because of the amount of information she'd had access to. That in turn required her to go through a background check and lie detector test every year. When she'd been there they'd brought up the fact that in the past week or so recent activity concerning her many different alias' had gone up quite a bit.

Three hours into what should've been a half hour trip they realized there was nothing in her past that would raise that kind of flag. No leaks that they'd been able to find or pinpoint but they'd keep looking. She'd told them good luck and left. It was hard telling what or who could've found out her true identity. The list of her missions; both successful and unsuccessful was as long as the Constitution and Declaration of Independence put together.

Thanking the guard once he gave her the go ahead she grabbed her messenger bag and used one of the nearby chairs to put her boots back on. Tying the laces her eyes widened as a thought dawned on her. Four days after coming home from Virginia the first attack had happened. Was it possible that someone inside the CIA was telling her enemies; those who's organizations she'd destroyed; her true identity?

Human greed was a scary thing. For the right price someone would sell their mothers soul. Chills ran down her back at the thought that someone she'd trusted with her life at one point was selling out to people who thought killing innocent woman and children was a way to garner attention to their cause.

Suddenly her head was spinning with the possibilities as she headed the rest of the way down the hall towards where her aunts secretary sat. Shaking it gently she decided that now was the not the time to dwell on it. Nothing had happened for at least a week. Then again she'd been traveling. However if someone was smart about it they could make it look like nothing more then a vacation gone wrong.

Those thoughts were for another time. Right now she had to figure out why her Aunt had mysteriously returned her phone call the day she was suppose to leave. And why the hair on the back of her neck stood up in warning when Money Penny looked up at her; smile not as genuine as it usually is.

"Alleria! It's good to see you again." The secretary got up and came around the desk to give the young Romanian woman a hug.

"You too Mon." Alleria returned the sentiment. "How have you been?"

"Good." The other woman stepped back. "Getting sick of all these male agents. You'd think they'd have more then two female double oh's."

"Believe me you don't have to tell me about too much testosterone." Alleria waved her off. "I was in the American marines for five years. I got enough of it to last a life time."

"I'm sure being as gorgeous as you are you had to deal with your fair share of come ons as well." Mon sat back down behind her desk.

Raising an eyebrow at the other woman; who was suddenly extremely intent on her blotter Alleria instantly knew something was wrong. The way the other woman was acting told her that her Aunt at least knew about the attempts on her life. Now what exactly she had up her sleeve was something the young Romanian was going to have to find out on her own.

"As sweet a woman as you are Money Penny I find it odd that you'd pay that much of a compliment to me given the fact that you've known me for the last twenty years or so." She held up her hand. "Let's see; I'm not your boss, you didn't forget my birthday, and I'm pretty sure you don't need a favor from me. That leaves only one thing."

"And what would that be?" She wondered.

"That my Aunt has something up her sleeve and you know all about it but were ordered not to tell me." Alleria offered. "How am I doing so far?"

"I have no idea what you talking about." Money Penny refused to look at her.

"You're an extremely terrible liar; you know that?" Alleria told her.

"How do you know I'm lying?" Money Penny asked.

"Because you won't look at me and you're fidgeting. Classic signs that you're lying right through your perfect white teeth." Alleria informed.

"I swear I'm not lying." Money Penny tried again. "Your Aunt hasn't told me anything other then the fact that she's expecting you."

Watching as the other woman bit her bottom lip Alleria knew she only had to push a little farther before getting the secretary to spill what exactly it was her lovely but meddling Aunt had in the works.

"Oh come on Mon." She pouted. "You know that sooner or later I'm going to get it out of you so why make it hard?"


	2. Chapter 2

Here's another chapter. Again this is my first time writing something for the world of James Bond so bear with me. This was also another late night chapter so if things are all jumbled I apologize yet again. I won't be posting anymore until I get some feed back on the first two but I will be working on more just incase the response is positive.

I own nothing dealing with Casino Royale or Quantom of Solace. Nor any other movies I may mention.

Again this is completely made up so for those die hard Bond fans out there please don't have a heart attack. LOL.

Thanks for reading and enjoy!

Chapter Two

Keeping her eyes on anything but the young Romanian's face the other woman could feel her blue eyes boring into her skull. When it came to having a poker face and a stare that could get a person to spill anything Alleria had the best in the business. Fidgeting with a file on her desk then the computer as she pulled up a program it wasted about five minutes. During which the young woman had remained at her perch; calmly staring as Money Penny found out when she had the nerve to face her again. And that ladies and gentlemen did her in. As if the ex-intelligence officer could sit there all day waiting for a person to crack and not give a second thought to the time wasted.

"She decided that you needed a protection detail until they could find out who's after you." The secretary finally spoke.

Given the nature of the work her Aunt did it wasn't surprising that she'd been able to find out about the three attempts made on her life in the last month or so. Though she was no longer with the Intelligence community she had contacts all over the world; and a list the length of the beloved country she'd once served; that wanted her dead. Of course that combined with the little revelation she'd had about her trip to Langley a little over a month ago was not boding well right now.

The first had been meager. An attempted mugging by men who shouldn't be teaching self defense to seventy year old woman. She'd managed to get out of that one without so much as breaking a sweat. After word had gotten to whoever had sent them that their plan had failed the real fun began. That didn't mean however that her Aunt could take over and decided what was best for her. She was a grown woman for Christ sakes. Had the right to know what ever the older woman did and decide from there what the best course of action was.

Quenching the urge to ram her fist in the desk in order to get more information from the woman; and so as not to jar the cut she'd stitched up herself from her lovely brush with an exploding building; Alleria plastered a smile on her face. "Who is it?"

"James Bond." Money Penny answered. "Appointed to double oh' status about three years ago."

"Has a case that went south about two years ago." Alleria interrupted. "And if I remember my Aunt's description of him correctly he's also brash, impulsive, reckless, and a pig headed stubborn son of a bitch."

"That'd be correct but he's the best we……" Money Penny started.

Standing up she ignored whatever sentence the secretary was going to finish as she snatched up her bag and headed towards her Aunt's office. Keeping her mean in check at this point was becoming so hard she thought her head would explode. Which in turn made her not want to beat around the bush with all the normal formalities.

"Aunt Mawdelyne I love you to pieces but what the hell gives you the right to assign me a bodyguard without consulting me first?" Alleria huffed.

Having been deep in discussion about exactly what his job was going to entail James practically jumped out of his chair when the door to the office slammed against the wall. Hearing the woman speak not to mention combining that with the sour/affectionate look that graced the older woman's face Bond easily came to the conclusion that this happened to be her niece.

"It's nice to see you too Alleria." M greeted. "Now that you've gotten that out of the way do you mind sitting down so we can talk about this rationally?"

Seconds passed where no one moved; the only sound was of Alleria trying to get her breathing under control. Needing the silence to end he turned; ready to say hello and endure any storm he may get at the moment for actually remembering his manners.

It was then for the first time in his career that he was struck speechless.

Long black hair looking wind blown, lavender eyes alive with anger and full lips pulled into a grimace she was the most captivating thing he'd seen. Defined cheekbones and chiseled jaw common among her people the orbs in question were slightly round; fringed with thick lashed the same color as her hair. Romanian's were usually pale skinned but do to the fact that she'd obviously spent quite a bit of time in the sun hers had a healthy bronze glow.

Dark wash wide leg jeans, a long sleeve aqua colored t-shirt and black quilted jacket with three quarter inch sleeves covered her body but it was easy to guess by the way she moved that a lithe runners build was hidden under all those clothes. Shifting in his chair a bit he gave a closer look to her right arm and could tell that even in her frenzied state; when most people wouldn't be wary of any injuries they might have; she was favoring that particular limb; holding it close to her body.

Ignoring the man who was staring at her like a deer in headlights Alleria braced her hands on the back of the chair next to him; one not as strongly as the other. In her rush to get in here she'd put strain on the stitches in her upper as well as lower arm. Coming in here looking as if she was injured wouldn't help her case any so she'd had to act as if nothing were wrong and it had cost her dearly. She just hoped they weren't damaged enough to start bleeding because the shirt she had on was the wrong color to be covering something like that up. Not to mention she didn't feel like explaining herself at the moment.

"How do you expect me to act rationally about this when you went behind my back." She wondered.

"It was for your own protection." M tried. "I just want to make sure your safe. Besides you obviously had no intention of telling me what was going on so I had to figure it out somehow."

Feeling her mean completely evaporate the young woman hung her head; embarrassed at the way she'd acted towards her aunt. And with a stranger in the room no less. Getting all of this piled on her at once. Especially when she'd thought she'd left it behind; was starting to take it's toll. Setting her bag down on the floor Alleria walked around to her aunts side of the desk. Crouching down she placed a hand on the older woman's knee.

"M you know that I'm more then grateful for everything you've done and still do for me." Alleria stated. "But I'm more then capable of taking care of myself. And I didn't tell you because I knew exactly how you'd react."

"I'm well ware of that but you're no longer with American Intelligence. Which means you shouldn't have to do all the dirty work yourself. It's time for you to relax." M explained. "And how exactly were you expecting me to react?"

" Certainly not like a control freak. Besides you should remember that I like doing the dirty work." Alleria grinned to soften her earlier words. "Plus you know I can't just sit back and do nothing when something like this is happening."

Understanding where the young woman was coming from M bit back the argument she'd had on the tip of her tongue. She'd promised that she wouldn't keep such close tabs on the young and here she was breaking that promise. Also seeing no way to get her to agree one hundred percent to having a bodyguard M realized that a compromise was in order. One she wasn't going to like but was going to have to live with.

"I know you have plans to go on holiday tomorrow." M answered. "At least allow him to tag along with you. If we haven't found out who's behind this by the time you come back then he's gone."

"That's it?" Alleria was skeptical. "Nothing more?"

"There's plenty more but I know you won't agree to it so there's no sense it bringing it up." M admitted.

Watching the exchange between the two woman James came to realize that it was the first time the MI6 director had shown any real concern or affection for another human being. Ever since he'd known the woman she'd been brash, ruthless, and unyielding. Then again to be in the position of power she currently held it was probably the only way to be.

Despite his better judgment and the lesson he should've learned with Vesper the young double oh' found his self smiling when she did. Listening to the thick accent her voice held and being transported to the mountains and mysterious landscape of Romania. As quickly as that thought possessed him it was gone. Replaced by the reality that there were some nasty people after her. And that if she wanted to the young woman could easily kill him given half the chance. Getting distracted around her was not an option. Even if it was hard for his body to do what his head was ordering it to.

"I'm only going to be gone for a month. A week or two past that at the most." Alleria reminded. "Do you think that will be enough time?"

"We've done more with a lot less." James spoke up.

Turning her attention from her Aunt to the man she'd rudely ignored since bursting in the room Alleria had to admit that despite her resolve to not be she was impressed.

Though it was hard to guess his exact height because he was seated the young woman estimated that Mr. Bond stood at six two or three. Broad shoulders and toned chest strained against his charcoal gray dress shirt. Given the way his upper body was built and the long legs clad in matching dress pants stretched out in front of him she surmised that his waist was narrow. Like that of a seasoned swimmer or runner.

Expecting the man to be movie star handsome she was both surprised and relieved to find that he wasn't. The charm factor however was still quite high. Maybe it was due to the fact that his looks were that of the ruggedly handsome. Blonde hair cut short and spiky he had a high forehead. Broad square nose, round eyes with ice blue orbs and chiseled cheekbones it was easy to see the laugh and worry lines etching his full lips.

During her time with the American Intelligence community the young Romanian had heard stories about the MI6 agent who'd been denied double oh status several times because he had no registered kills. How he was impulsive and unconventional.

Now don't get her wrong she was all for improvising or flying by the seat of her pants when it was needed. But doing something that would endanger the lives of others and compromise the agencies name was just plain stupid as far as she was concerned.

Plus men who though they could take any woman they wanted to bed without a second thought really pissed her off. It made woman like her who stood up for themselves look like shrews. James Bond was the kind of person who thought he could do anything then charm his way out of it. Would never have to deal with the consequences of his actions due to who he was.

Bottom line was she couldn't stand men like him. But to make her aunt feel better; and she silently told herself for added protection; she would tolerate him for the next month or two. Or so she'd let the other woman think. Why the older woman had even picked him for this particular assignment was beyond the young Romanian's scope at the moment. Obviously there was something in him that she just wasn't seeing.

Personally she didn't give a rats ass what that particular trait might be. If her aunt trusted him then it was safe to say that she could as well. However that didn't mean she had to like him. Or listen to him when the shit hit the fan. If in fact the shit did hit the fan and this didn't just turn out to be some sort of hoax to scare her. Because if it was then who ever was behind it had failed. Scared was so far from where she was right now. She'd gone past that to pissed off the second time she'd been attacked.

"You must be my shadow for the next couple of months." Alleria stood.

"I wouldn't call my presence a shadow." James stood as well. " More like a traveling companion."

"Not by choice as you very well know." She smiled as sweetly as possible. "Alleria Takarov; nice to meet you."

"James Bond; my sentiments exactly." He took the offered hand.

Though the smile they both gave each other looked real they knew it wasn't. And he also knew that the young woman was smart enough to understand that his last remark had everything to do with her not by choice statement and nothing to do with meeting her.

From the way she'd interacted with her Aunt regarding the bodyguard business it was obvious to James that she was use to things going her way when it came to her personal life and protection. That the only reason she was seeming to concede to it was to ease the older woman's mind. Taking help from anyone or having someone protect her was not part of the way she was hard wired. She was use to going at things alone. Relying on herself and no one else to get the job done.

Which in turn meant that shadowing her was going to like living with a grizzly bear. Albeit an extremely attractive one; but it was still going to be a pain in the ass. Hell a real grizzly would probably be a lot friendlier. Especially when he had a funny feeling she wasn't going to play nice.

In cases like this he'd just turn up the charm he was so well known for and everything would be right with the world. Unfortunately Alleria was proving to him that charm wasn't going to cut it this time. It was going to be a challenge; going to take some hard work to get her to trust him. Then again he was never one to back down from a fight.

"I hate to interrupt these extremely cordial introductions but there's one more matter that I've decided to bring up against my better judgment before you two leave." M spoke.

Though they knew her cordial remark was an attempt at humor neither one cracked a smile. Every time M said there was something more it was never good. Reluctantly they both sat; the pretense of trying to be nice to each other forgotten.

"Aunt Mawdeyln I love you to pieces but I'm really beginning to not _like _you at the moment." Alleria informed.

"Then sufficed to say me suggesting that you pose as a married couple on their honeymoon will fully push you over the edge." M dropped the bomb.

Schooling their faces to show no emotion was something the older woman knew they were both extremely good at. Even during their worst times they'd never let the turmoil going on inside of them spill to the outside. This time however they both looked like fish out of water. Eyes and mouths both wide open. Silence stretched in the room so thick you cut it with a knife and place it on a cracker.

"You what?!" Alleria finally spoke.

She'd been expecting this kind of reaction from her niece. Track record with men less than perfect she was highly opposed to anything resembling marriage. Once was enough for her; even if the second happened to be completely fictional.

James had recovered quickly as was per usual with him and now looked rather amused at the look of anger and shock that marred Alleria's pretty face. His sense of humor had always seemed strange. Sarcasm more then she could handle from time to time. Both surfacing at the worst possible moments. If she agreed to this hopefully the young double oh' wouldn't' use every opportunity to rub it in her face.

"I realize that this is a surprise for you but I believe it would be the best way to go about things." M tried to reason.

"You _realize _that this is a surprise?" Alleria was back to being pissed off again. "Wanna try a little harder? Maybe something along the lines of one big cluster fuck."

Grabbing her bag off the floor she slung it over her shoulder as she headed for the door. Unfortunately she'd forgotten about her bad arm and was barely able to hide the pain she felt reverberating through her limb. There was no way in the fiery plains of hell that she was going to agree to this. It was absurd and not needed. As is she was going to agree to let a man she already knew she didn't like shadow her in order to make her aunt feel better. However she was not going to go along with something that she'd already been through once in real life and been left to dealt with the consequences of that person's betrayal.

"Please Alleria; just hear me out." M strode forward to try to stop her from leaving. "It's just temporary. And the only way I could think of for why he'd be sticking so close to you."

"That's the worst excuse I've ever heard." The young Romanian whirled on her aunt. "You could've said he was my brother; that we were having a family reunion of sorts."

"Do you really think that would've held for very long?" M wondered.

"Long enough for me to go on my much needed vacation and satisfy your over protective nature." Alleria informed. "After the month is up I don't really give a damn whether or not I have a protection detail."

"But I do." M reminded. "And I'm not thinking about just you anymore. This is about the safety of the United States as well as Britain. You were privy to quite a bit of sensitive information during you time with American Intelligence. If someone was to get a hold of it……."

"They won't." Alleria cut her off. "Nor will they get a hold of me. As your well aware; but I believe I should tell you again; I'm more then capable of taking care of myself. I thought you had more faith in me then that."

Cringing as the door to her office slammed shut M wasn't sure what to do anymore. She'd known that telling her niece that particular part of her plan wasn't going to go well. However she hadn't expected _that _kind of a reaction. There were certain things about the attacks on her that she wasn't aware of. Like there were some people in some very high up places in her government as well as Britain's that were trading her life for that of theirs and their family. Being a huge asset to both parties during her ten years with Intelligence was now coming back to bite the young Romanian in the ass.

"Would you like me to speak to her?" James asked.

Having watched the exchange between the two he'd seen pure and honest defeat in the set of the woman's shoulders; the tone of her voice. Something that was highly unusual for the head of MI6. Normally he wouldn't bother to get involved and consider his self lucky to not have to be stuck with a woman who thought he was Satan's spawn. But the whole Greene fiasco in Brazil; what she'd done for him; had made him realize that she cared about him like a son despite her bravado to the contrary. Their relationship had become closer over the year and half since it had happened and he'd been looking for a way to repay her. Getting the young woman to agree to the cover; keeping her out of harms way; would be payment enough.

"Considering the fact that she probably likes you more then me right about now your welcome to try." M sat back down behind her desk.

"Give me ten minutes." James stood.

"I'm sure you're well aware of this but it's going to take more then your usual charms to win her over." M reminded. " You're going to have to pull out all the stops and then that might not even be enough."

"Will do mum." With a small salute he was out the door.

"God speed Bond. And good luck." M whispered. "You're going to need it."


	3. Chapter 3

_Here's another chapter. Thanks for the reviews. They were positive so it made me decide to keep going with the story. Though my schedule it changing so it might take a little longer then some might like to update but I promise it will get done as fast as my brain and time allow. _

_I own nothing dealing Casino Royale or Quantum of Solace._

_Though I only became a Bond fan when Pierce Broson (Sorry if I spelled that wrong) played the character I have seen some of the older ones and I have to say that Daniel Craig has to be my favorite 007 by far._

_Enjoy and keep the reviews coming!_

_Chapter Three_

_Feeling as if she was going to hyperventilate; or punch someone out; because she was so pissed Alleria let out a frustrated sigh as the cool air of a London fall day hit her face. Hailing a cab would've been the quickest way to get as far away from her Aunt and Bond as humanly possible. But being outside helped clear her mind so she chose to walk instead._

_Stuffing her hands in her pockets the young Romanian woman couldn't understand why the older woman had done this to her. The only living relative she had left. The only person in the world she could trust without question and M had lied to her. There'd been no inclination in her voice what so ever when they'd spoken on the phone earlier that day that their first conversation in years would be reduced to a pissing match. In assigning Bond to be her bodyguard she was essentially throwing her only niece to the wolves._

_His record and the fact that M seemed to trust him no questions asked not withstanding Alleria didn't like him. There was too much finesse to him. Too much; dare she say; neatness. And that didn't settle well with her. Someone in his line of work should be a little rough around the edges. Even if it may not show to the untrained eye someone such as herself should easily be able to spot the fact that he's been sent into the fray more then once. That he's seen the harshness of the outside world and lived to tell about it. Thinking back on their brief but now memorable encounter nothing seemed to jump out at her. Which in turn meant that he was extremely good at hiding his feelings. More so then even her and that was dangerous to her well being. _

_Having someone like him around for a month or so was going to take a huge toll on her nerves and mental health. It'd been so long since she'd been surrounded by those who could spot the slightest change in a persons demeanor and she was scared to admit that she might be extremely rusty._

_Stopping at a little café about a hundred feet from the MI6 building she stood in line to get a cup of hot coca; thinking shamefully to herself that in her rage against what her aunt had done she was being a tad unfair to the poor guy. Okay maybe more then a tad; ridiculously unfair seemed to fit better. All her years of watching those around her and the profiling she'd learned while with American Intelligence told her she was nitpicking to find any little thing she could wrong with him so she wouldn't have to agree to her aunt's outrageous plan. _

_The only reason he'd rubbed her the wrong way was because she'd let him. Past indiscretions between her and the opposite sex were making her look at every man like the enemy. And in a sense he could be seen as one. But she was thinking more along the lines of a worthy opponent. Despite her seeming immediate dislike for the young Brit there was also something about him that spoke to her._

_Like maybe he hid the roughness behind a suave exterior to fool people into thinking he was the picture of perfection twenty four seven instead of a mess of emotional turmoil. That was something she could relate to on a level that he didn't even understand. More times then she was willing to count in her career she'd had to do just that. After a while it took a toll on a persons emotions. So much so that they tended to project those feelings onto similar objects or people. For example her and men who seemed too sophisticated and put together to be real; to be genuine. _

_Him it may be something along the lines of beautiful woman who knew how to manipulate a man to their needs. Though he may have been very good at hiding his roughness; his true self; the glimmer of hurt that still shone in his eyes was enough to over ride any tough guy exterior he may be projecting. _

_Paying for her order; deciding to splurge and get one of the sticky buns that seemed to be calling her name; she let herself settle on the idea that she should give the guy a chance. That her disdain for him was based on nothing more then the rumors she'd been told and her pissed off attitude towards what her aunt had suggested. _

_Did that mean that she had to go along with the hair brained idea that they were a recently married couple on their honeymoon? No; there had to be another way to go about this. If they were acting as brother and sister that decided to meet up in Colorado for some good skiing; or in her case snowboarding; no one would be the wiser. Though the resort she stayed at every time she visited the Rockies was very lavish and high class it was also family oriented. So no one would think the wiser to that kind of a cover. _

_Only those who were privy to her full personnel file knew she had no siblings. No one at the resort knew; she was very careful about what she told people. Giving away too much could get her in the state she was currently in. _

_Thanking the barista for her food she meandered around the place for a few moments before deciding to sit in one of their glassed off areas. This way she'd have a full view of the street and café should anyone get bold enough to attempt something in broad day light in the middle of a crowded street. _

_So much for thinking the past was in the past. _

Surveying the street once he stepped foot outside the building James swore under his breath when he realized he'd lost her. It had only been about ten or fifteen minutes since she'd left M's office so unless she'd taken a cab somewhere she couldn't have gotten far. If that was the case he had to begrudgingly admit that he admired her ability to get lost in a crowd so quickly.

Heading to the right he had to also admit that he was still a little shocked at her earlier outburst. Granted he'd expected a generous amount of hesitation; possibly even a slight bit of anger; given the fact that Alleria had been broad sided by her aunt's plans. But nothing like the storm of fury she'd turned into.

Known for keeping his emotions well hidden Bond had expected the same from her seeming how at one point they'd both been in the same profession. What had happened just went to show him that you couldn't judge someone based on what they had done for a living. Couldn't base them on what they'd been through and all the training in the world.

Dislike had instantly sprang inside him when she'd appeared. Actually it had come to life when he'd read her dossier. Though he'd cleared his conscious and emotions of the Vesper incident he was still a wary man. Especially of beautiful woman who knew how to manipulate people to their advantage. And given her track record of successful missions Bond would say she was damn good at it.

Scanning the street for the raven haired woman he had to confess that his first inspection of her hadn't been exactly kosher. In fact it hadn't been kosher at all. Why she'd left it all behind; a brilliant career, a chance to move up and potentially become director of the CIA; he had no idea. But she had and being pulled back into that world like this wasn't fair.

As it was she was dealing with an injured arm that no one knew about. During her conversation with M he'd noticed the dark circles starting to form under her eyes. From the light makeup he'd seen on her otherwise flawless skin he'd say she was trying to cover up the fact that they were much worse then what he'd seen. Noticed how she was working hard to not let the fatigue she was feeling show. Obviously the attempts on her life were taking more of a toll then the young Romanian was letting on.

Honestly he had to admit that he admired that about her. If it wasn't for the connections M had no one but Alleria would know what was going on. Know the kind of danger she was truly in. Something also told him that she would've preferred to keep it that way. Would've gladly continued to move on with her life while trying to figure out who was after her. There was no doubt from the look of her dossier that she was more than capable of taking care of herself should the occasion call for something a little more hands on. However according to M this was turning into something even the young beauty wouldn't be able to handle alone.

Quite a lot of people high up on the Department of Defense food chain had screwed up and were looking for someone to take the fall. Or so M was surmising given the intel she'd received. Intel he was privy to but unwilling to share with Alleria should he get her to agree to the plan. The young woman had enough to worry about. Since she had left under circumstances not listed it was easy to surmise that she would be a prime target. Get false information to the right people. Make them think she'd become a traitor and not only would the bad guys be after her but the seemingly good ones as well.

Stopping at a flower vendor; pretending like he was going to by them in order to make sure he wasn't being followed by the woman in question; or anyone else for that matter; James couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy for her. That much pressure was a lot to be put one someone's shoulders. Even if they were use to it.

Coming across a batch of white roses spray painted with a light blue he couldn't help but smile. Knowing that as he picked one and paid for it he'd made up hid mind. Not only would he take the job for M because he owed her but he'd give it one hundred percent. There'd be no half assing about it just because it wasn't an official mission. Plus he also felt the young woman was close to an over load. Felt that he needed to try and stop her before she completely crashed. And if he couldn't do that then he'd be there for her when she finally let it all go.

Finding her a couple of stores down in a glassed in café he wondered as he watched her talk adamantly on the phone when he'd become so soft. There was no way to know for sure but what he could surmise was that he couldn't let his new resolve to give her a second chance over shadow that of her safety.

Sensing someone behind her Alleria never took her eyes off the book she was reading as her left hand slipped into her bag; acting as if she was looking for something as innocent as gum or chap stick. When in all reality it had latched itself into the silver Browning nine millimeter she had stashed. Loaded and ready to put a bullet in someone should the occasion call for it.

"Would you really shot an unarmed man bearing gifts?"

Somehow she should've known it was him standing there. His presence exuded a certain something that made you look up when he walked into the room. She'd like to think that the reason why it hadn't affected her was because of her over cautiousness and not the fact that he jangled her nerves to the point where she felt nothing. However nice it was she'd be a fool to give into that notion for even a second.

"Though I'd doubt you go anywhere unarmed I would have to say that it depends on the gift and the man bearing it." Alleria finally looked up.

Blue tipped white rose in hand his brilliant eyes that matched the flower so closely were watching her. What was considered a grin on most but probably passed as a full fledged smile crinkled the area around his mouth.

"In that case I should probably cut my losses and leave now." Bond joked.

"That would depend on why you followed me." Alleria gestured to the chair across from her.

"First I'd like to give this to you. I look rather silly holding onto it." Bond handed her the rose; not being able to stop his self from getting some delight at the small smile that cut her full lips. "Secondly is was more like tracking you down. No wonder the American government wanted you so bad. You're very good at your job."

"Though I thank you for the lovely flower and that sparkling compliment I'm guessing you're here to get me to agree to my aunts plan." Alleria surmised. "Which means I'm seriously reconsidering shooting you."

"With all these witnesses around?" Bond leaned back. "Now that's not very smart. Maybe my compliment was a little too hasty."

"I've been known for the ability to kill someone and make it look like an accident." Alleria gave a ruthless smile. "So believe me if I really wanted you dead no one would be the wiser."

As much as she wanted to stick with her resolve to give the man a chance the fact that he'd come here to bring up the subject she'd just managed to forget was making it crack. Thankfully he didn't take her most recent outburst to heart. Just sat back in the chair with his legs crossed; looking every inch relaxed and debonair as he waited for her to calm down; again.

The book in front of her was nothing more then a prop; something to make her look busy while she mulled back and forth over M's proposition. Normally in situations like this her logic would over ride everything else and she'd go along with whatever plan had been hashed out for the good of the mission.

This wasn't some assignment for the bloody American government they were talking about. It involved her life and the lives of anyone she'd come in contact with. Anyone she'd become close to over the years. As short a list as it was there were still names on it that didn't deserve to be put in danger due their acquaintance with her.

No holds barred version about what was going on would be someone high up the Homeland Security or Department of Defense food chain was trying to make her into some kind of scapegoat and it was royally pissing her off. Then again it could be a terrorist group she'd taken out finally seeking their revenge. Either way it wasn't going to be good. Not knowing where to start or where to go once she found the information was making her feel like a caged animal. And if you caged one long enough it tended to get restless and feel the need to fight back.

"Look; I'm going to be straight with you by saying that I'm not too thrilled about this either." Bond confessed. " Playing bodyguard is one thing I hate the most. But M's worried about you and I believe she has good reason to be."

"And here I was going to apologize for being so cold earlier and give you a second chance." Alleria laid the flower on the table. "But now that I see you're on my aunt's side I'm thinking of retracting that statement."

Dear god the older woman hadn't been kidding when she'd said he'd have to pull out all the stops to get the young Romanian to agree. Guess it was a good thing he was just as stubborn as she was. Then again he had a feeling that if their time together extended past this particular conversation that trait was going to get them both into some serious trouble.

"I've been given information about the last two attempts on your life." Bond informed. "And by the way you've been favoring your right arm I'd say going at it alone isn't working all too well for you this time."

"Well , well. You've surprised me yet again Mr. Bond." Alleria tried hard to gain her bearings under his attentiveness to detail.

"I believe we'll end up surprising each other quite a bit over the next month or so." He informed.

"What makes you so confident that I'll agree?" Alleria inquired.

"Because I can see it in your eyes." James observed. "You're scared out of your mind but don't want to admit it. Use to going at it alone you're reluctant to take the help M is offering. Reluctant to let anyone else get involved and possibly hurt."

"I must be losing my touch if you could tell all that from a glance." Alleria quipped.

"Normally I believe you're very good at hiding even the slightest bit of emotion or physical fatigue." James countered. "But as they say the eyes are the windows to the soul and right now your's are saying that you're in so far over your head that it's hard to tell which way it up."

Watching as she waged an internal war James felt his heart soften for her even though he knew he had her. Being in the position she was in. Vulnerable; so out of her element that it scared the hell out of her. There was a time not to long ago where he'd been in her shoes; though for very different reasons. Regardless of why, it was one of the hardest things to believe when you could no longer trust your instincts. Trust in something you'd done nearly all of your life.

Having turned to the window to avoid his penetrating and too cool gaze Alleria knew he was right. Knew that she had to give in to every aspect of her aunt's plan in order to get one step closer to finding out who was after her. To push her personal feelings regarding the situation aside and treat it like another mission. One with the same outcome as all the others; to save a life. This was not going to be fun in so many different ways for her. Then again it might not be for him either once he found out where they were headed. Maybe she'd get to have some fun after all.

'Do you like snow Mr. Bond?" She settled her gaze on him once again.

The way she'd said it; the gleam that was in her eyes had him thinking he wasn't going to like what she said next. That she had something up her sleeve and wasn't going to tell him a damn thing about.

"Not particularly." He answered wearily. "Why?"

"Oh no reason." Alleria waved him off; a sly grin wanting to escape her lips. Placing her things back in her bag she turned to him with as sweet a look as she could muster. "Shall we go talk to M now?"


	4. Chapter 4

_Here's another chapter. Thanks again for the reviews; it's keeps me going! I know that there really hasn't been any action in these first chapters but I promise it's coming soon. I like to get the story and characters established before I get into the fun stuff! _

_I own nothing dealing with James Bond, Casino Royale, or Quantum of Solace._

_Keep those reviews coming and enjoy!_

_Chapter Four_

"_When you said Colorado I figured a log cabin in the middle of no where." James stepped out of the car._

"_This is in the middle of no where." Alleria pointed out._

"_Yes but it's far from a log cabin." James countered._

_In fact the resort was it's own little village. They'd seen it at a distance when the plane had flown over before touching down on a private air strip. Built in a star shape with the resort at the center each of the other four streets that branched off were filled with businesses and restaurants._

_Covered in a three foot blanket of snow it was themed after the old time Christmas cards. Cobblestone streets and concrete sidewalks neatly cleaned. Red brick, log style, and gray stone buildings with wreaths on every door it was a dream for any holiday romantic. Even the fountain that he was sure used to be in the center had been replaced by a huge Christmas tree; white lights lit and blinking in the afternoon sun. _

_Five stories high; rustic Midwest looking with log cabin siding and gray stone adorning the tower at the apex of the resort. Glancing upward he could see an observatory with stained glass windows at the top of the Cinderella like appendage. Below that he saw several signs for some high end shops housed there as well. An awning over the sand colored marble staircase was made of rough hewed log beams; the name of the establishment burned into it. There were six other peaks with the same siding framing them as the windows; three on each side. More then likely denoting the penthouse suites from the rest._

_Silver garland adorned the black metal railing of the staircase and solid oak frames of the two bay windows on each side of the first floor. Above those in the center was a half moon shaped window; wreath hanging with a red bow. Shrubs filled with red and white roses lined each side of the steps; still going with the holiday theme. How they survived in this kind of a climate he would never know. Christmas music could be heard through speakers hidden in said greenery. Though the sun was high in the sky several old fashioned street lights standing like soldiers at attention on both sides of the driveway were alight; ready for when the sun went down._

_Having no need to celebrate the holidays he'd forgotten that Thanksgiving had already passed and there was only a month left before Christmas. James had found it odd that she was going on vacation so close to Santa's biggest day. But thinking back on her dossier and remembering M telling him there was no one left bit her it made sense that she wouldn't want to be around home._

_They why pick a resort that obviously enjoyed the merriment of it all, _Bond wondered.

"I wanted it to be what you would call a pleasant surprise." Alleria confessed.

Surprises seemed to be the name of the game today. Not only had she been cordial to him but genuinely nice as well. Though they didn't have a complete and total heart to heart he believed they'd come to an understanding. Just when he thought he'd had all the mind boggling information and excitement he could take concerning her he'd been mistaken.

Feeling the need to accompany them; her over protective nature in high gear; M had presented them with their wedding bands. Being who she was there was nothing fancy about them. His was a simple titanium band with a ring of platinum in the middle. Hers was three stone, square cut diamonds set in titanium with a four millimeter band due to the fact that she had long, slender fingers; simple and elegant.

But when he'd glanced at her after putting his on; feeling an odd sense of contentment flood through him; the look on her face was not one of happiness. Even if she hadn't been and still wasn't okay with the situation she seemed to be taking it in stride. Dealing with it because she knew in the end it had to be done. At the time she looked like she was going to cry, throw up, then open the plane door and toss the ring out the window.

Handing her bags to the porter who'd met them at the bottom of the stairs she looked every bit the picture of calm.

Turning one's emotions on and off like that could be a huge asset when in the middle of a high risk situation. Doing it in everyday life could cause the turmoil to build up so much that it would explode at the wrong time. Or on the wrong person.

Studying her to try and determine what was going on would have to wait for another time. While she'd been waiting for him to gather his stuff; pay the cabby and make his way to her a young man who looked like he was just waiting for someone from GQ magazine to grab him and pull him into a photo shoot had made his way over.

One thing he hadn't noticed right off the bat; which was unusual for him; was the abundance of beautiful and seemingly single woman that wandered the streets. Then again being here as a married man it wouldn't exactly be in good taste for him to be ogling every female that walked by. So why with all the potential running about would the young; and obviously wealthy man based on his Armani suit and Gucci dress shoes; pick her was anyone's guess.

It was impossible to not see the engagement and wedding rings on her left hand. Then again maybe the man went for the thrill and danger of having an affair with a married woman. In his experience he'd learned that it made things less complicated.

Of course the fact that she was heart achingly gorgeous didn't hurt. Most men; especially those who were foreign in nature themselves; tended to go towards females who were exotic looking as well. He'd also found that Italians; which it what this man happened to be from his black hair, blue eyes, and olive skin; were use to getting what they wanted. Thought that once people found out that they came from the land of couture clothes and fast cars they'd fall into their arms willingly.

Thankfully Alleria wasn't only playing the other half of this happily married couple but she was too smart to fall for something so shallow and false.

Coming up behind her he placed a hand at the small of her back; reaching around to place a kiss on her cheek. Having to touch her was a required part of their cover. The tingle he felt on his lips after brushing her skin with them was not.

"Everything okay darling?" James tried to act as if what he'd just done was normal and not new and unexpected.

Turning what she knew was a grateful smile his way Alleria leaned into his embrace; adding to the illusion. Sad part was that it was starting to become more then a game of smoke and mirrors for her already. Which did not sit well for her emotional well being. She'd hoped they would be able to dispense with the closeness part of it all until a little later. Then the overly smooth man standing before her had shot that all to hell.

"Yes dear." She answered. "Mr. Valencia was just telling me that he was here on business. He's in the wine industry."

"Really?" James faked interest. "I'd think that kind of business would require some warmer weather. Not a Colorado winter."

"It's just a few meetings; nothing more." The other man gave him a look of disdain under his carefully manicured eyebrows. "Some of my partners like to mix business with pleasure; skiing mostly."

"Obviously you have other activities in mind." James put a little menace in his voice; hold tightening slightly on Alleria's waist.

Stepping closer; unchallenged by James; Valencia gave a sly smile. "This beautiful woman and I were having a lovely conversation; may I ask who you are that you have the right to interrupt."

"I'm sorry where are my manners." Alleria apologized; getting ready to defuse the situation. "This is my husband James."

Immediately his look changed from one of a sly cat to that of wolf ready to fight for his territory. As thankful as she was for his help this was so not what she needed right now. Though she doubted they would kick her out making a scene was not on her list of things to do today.

" I didn't see any rings; I apologize. But I do have to say that that's such a shame." Valencia purred. "Please don't find me brass in saying this but I believe you're wasting your beauty on a man so rough around the edges; so unrefined."

Feeling James tense next to her Alleria had to say that she didn't blame him. Despite her better judgment to not get attached to the young double oh' she couldn't stop her heart from doing what it was. Not sure what to do; but not wanting Bond to punch the other man out; the young Romanian woman found her choice made for her when the Italian man had the audacity to reach out and run a hand blatantly up and down her jacket covered arm. Reaching out with her left hand; making sure he could see the diamonds sparkling in the afternoon light; she grabbed hold of his slimy hand and squeezed the fingers in an iron grip.

To his credit he didn't so much as flinch but being as close as she was the pain was plain as day on his face.

"I'll have you know that he may be rough around the edges but he has more class in his little finger then you have in you entire body. Not to mention someone who's faithful to you has it's perks." Alleria snarled.

Taking her hand off his so she wouldn't break the other mans fingers James held it up in the air; diamonds still brilliant in the sun.

"Yeah. I guess it is kind of hard to miss those." He settled a smirk on the other man. "Have a nice day Mr. Valencia; oh and don't forget to put some ice on your hand."

With that he led Alleria up the stairs and through the double front doors. Leaving a scorned and pride wounded man behind. Next to him the young Romanian woman was giving the hand she was holding onto an extra squeeze in order to calm down. And not burst into laughter.

Studying the room around him James had to say he'd found it quite amusing his self. Especially when she'd taken the matter into her own hands. Now that they were inside the resort that man was the least of his worries.

Five star all the way the lobby was abuzz with more activity then he'd been expecting. Bell hops carrying luggage and pushing rolling racks. A concierge standing at the ornate stained cherry desk. Paintings in gold gilded frames depicted outdoor scenes of forests and fields. A metal work design of the hotel and mountains beyond graced the left wall as they made their way across the room.

Waiters; of all things; served champagne and trays of appetizers in a waiting area to the left. Adorned with several tan colored leather sofas and a stereo system playing yet more Christmas music. Along side that and also to the right was a row of about five gold gilded elevators. In the center was yet another waiting area with a chocolate brown leather chair; two oak stained coffee tables filled with magazines, four cream colored leather sofas and a forty inch plasma TV placed in an oak entertainment center. Sand colored marble flooring was underneath their feet as they made their way to the back of the room.

Overhead a eight tiered chandelier illuminated the room; hung from cathedral like ceilings with exposed beams the same color as the furniture. Not a rug in sight he supposed it was due to all the snow that got tracked in. He had to admit that the way the light was low gave it a warm, homey feel. Something that instantly made him at ease. It was probably the reason why she chose it.

Behind the front desk he noted as they waited their turn was a huge bay window that gave a view of the hotels restaurant. From the number of kids and married couple he'd seen since entering he had to guess that this particular establishment was more family oriented and not a place for young college co-eds to come have a wild crazy time while living off their trust funds. All the more reason he liked it. Less to worry about.

But why; if she was so opposed to the idea of marriage whether it be fake or not; would she chose to stay here? Maybe she didn't have the same attitude towards children or other people's marriages.

"Thank you for saving me." Alleria finally managed to get her self in check enough to speak.

"Though your compliment is welcomed I believe you're the one that saved yourself." James told her. "Personally I thought you looked like you were having quite a bit of fun. I was thinking about whether or not to leave you there and see what happened."

"You wouldn't have!" Alleria glared. "Wait a minute; why am I even questioning it? Of course you would've"

Chuckling at her exasperation James stepped forward; realizing it was their turn. Opening his mouth to speak he stopped his self when the petite red head receptionist turned her gaze to Alleria; scrutinizing her.

"Ms. Takarov?" She questioned.

The fact that the majority of the staff knew her by heart told a person she'd been coming there too long. In her previous line of work having that kind of a pattern could get a person killed. Except there was one particular feature about her that she concealed everywhere she went but here. One that the young woman had picked up on.

"Hi Chelsea." Alleria greeted. "How have you been?"

"Good. You've done something different with your hair; that's why I didn't recognize you." She pointed out.

_So much for keeping that a secret, _Alleria thought.

"Yeah; I decided it was time." She said aloud.

Watching the exchange between the two James raised an eyebrow in wonder. For it being something as simple as hair color Alleria was being very covert about it. In fact she'd started fidgeting; looking down at the floor. Another thing he'd have to get to the bottom of.

"Your usual penthouse ma'am." Chelsea typed on the computer.

"Actually I had called yesterday and had it upgraded to a two bedroom." Alleria informed.

"Oh; this must be your brother then?" Chelsea tried not to look so eager at the news.

Feeling anger flare in her at the blatant look of admiration that the young woman was giving the British man Alleria stamped it down immediately. There was no room in her life for a man; especially one as infuriating as James Bond. They may have come to an understanding of sorts but that didn't mean she had control over him. After all it was only a fake marriage; meant to be a cover to keep her safe while they figured out what the hell was going on. Along with that came playing the part of a happily married woman; which meant having to burst the Irish woman's bubble. Somehow that made her smile on the inside.

"Actually he's my husband." The young Romanian woman informed. "James this is Chelsea O'Shea. She's a second year med student at the University of Colorado."

"Nice to meet you." The double oh' extended a hand. "Alleria has told me a lot about you. That you're a very brilliant girl. With a promising future ahead of you if I recall correctly."

Beaming under his smoothly crafted lie Chelsea swiped two card keys through the console before handing them to James. "Thank you. " All business again she raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you don't want to go back to your original penthouse? You really aren't going to need the second bedroom."

"We have some friends meeting us here tomorrow." Alleria informed; lying as nicely as Bond just had.

"Very well then; it's nice to have you back. Enjoy your stay." Chelsea smiled. "And congratulations!"

In her effort to make a hasty exit she completely forgot to say thank you to the young woman before she was bombarded by the next customer. Which was all well and good as far as she was concerned. The quicker they got away from their and to their room the more the possibility would grow that he'd forget the comment about her hair.

"Lovely girl." James said as they rode the elevator to the top floor; ignoring the bell hop that was with them.

"Yes but she's not Brian's type." Alleria informed; knowing he would understand that she was talking about him.

"And why is that?" James wondered as the doors opened.

Stepping into the small hallway she turned to him with a wry smile on her face. "She's single."


	5. Chapter 5

_Volia; another chapter has been born! I'm sure you're all wondering when the good stuff is going to be coming and I promise that it is; soon. Again thanks for all the reviews; they keep me writing. _

_For those of you who are confused about the Romanian in the story here's the translation;_

_Vrăjitoare; _witch

_Bunică:_ grandmother

_Bunic; _grandfather

I own nothing dealing with James Bond, Casino Royale, or Quantum of Solace

Thanks for reading and keep the reviews coming!

Chapter Five

_Touché, _James thought as they followed the bell hop down the hall to their room.

Reputation that of a man who preferred married woman over those that were single the young double oh' figured he deserved that remark. Coming from her rather then someone else made it sting all the more. Why he wasn't sure and at this point in time wasn't going to try to figure out.

Paying the young porter and thanking him before closing the oak double doors behind him Bond knew there were more pressing things to get to. Like why she'd been so unnerved about the simple comment about her hair. More so it seemed then about the man that come onto her earlier. Before that however was the layout of the room. Should a time ever come that they needed to get out quickly it was best to know the kind of space one was dealing with.

Standing in the small foyer he took noticed of the redwood stand to his left; a black china vase filled with white roses atop it; gold framed mirror hanging on the wall. Straight in front of them was a set of stairs that led to the second floor; a miniature version of the ones out front.

Slightly to the right, wide open and warmed by the fire place on the far wall next to a set of double French doors; which by the way gave what he had to say was a spectacular view of the snow capped mountains that surrounded them; was a sitting area. Small sofa separate from the rest of the furniture was placed in front of the stone hearth. Making it an inviting place to relax and take a nap or read a book.

Flush against the farthest right wall was an entertainment center that matched the one downstairs; the only change was that it was made of redwood and not oak. Next in line came a coffee table of the same material then a cream colored leather sofa; all like soldiers in a line up. Flanking each side was a navy colored leather chair. Again there were no carpets to be found; just gleaming teak floors.

Use to staying in lavish hotels and resorts he had to say that this one was becoming his favorite very quickly. Something about it made it stand out more then the others. Maybe it was the fact that instead of just looking nice as per what guests were expecting it was actually inviting. Like you could come here and feel completely at home.

"Would you like help with your bags?" James offered.

Having slipped off her beloved blue Columbia jacket and placed it on a peg next to the door Alleria turned her attention from surveying the room as well to grace him with a raised eyebrow.

"And here I was beginning to think chivalry was dead." She walked towards her luggage. "Thank you but no; I'll give you a chance to put your own things away. Take a shower if you'd like. We've got a busy day ahead of us."

"Really?" James interest peaked. "And what exactly did you have in mind?"

"Do you snowboard Mr. Bond?" Alleria asked.

"I've been known to when the occasion calls for it." He offered.

"Good; because if you're going to be following me around then it calls for it." Alleria informed.

A protest was on the tip of his tongue that had nothing to do with the fact that they'd be out in the freezing temperature instead of the warmth of the hotel. But as he saw her heft the huge duffle over her good shoulder and pull the handle up on the giant rolling one he bit it back. The young Romanian was not the kind to take charity from people. And even though it was his job to protect her during the duration of the trip that didn't mean he had to baby her. However he would keep a watchful eye open; make sure she didn't push herself past her limits. If she even had any.

Instead of following her to the upper level and other bedroom that awaited he decided to see if there was anything to drink; again taking in his surroundings and committing them to memory. There'd be plenty of time later to get his things in order. Besides unpacking was a waste of time; especially if one had to leave in a hurry. Which was a complete possibility given the reason why they were here.

Stepping through the wide doorway he was confronted with yet another view of the white mountains through sliding glass doors; rising high above the hotel on all sides and placing them in somewhat of a cocoon. Covering the two far walls were countertops made of gray granite and cupboards made of redwood. Also for their use was a toaster and six cup coffee pot. In the center of the room stood an island with a built in glass top stove; an oven underneath. Across from that was a stainless steel two door fridge with the freezer as a slide out underneath. Next to that was a stainless steel microwave resting on a redwood cart. On the far side of the room was a four person table with high back cream cushioned chairs.

Opening the door of the fridge he noticed it was stocked with bottled water, what looked to be Gatorade, a couple of bottles of champagne, and last but not least; Pepsi of all things. He'd figured there'd be a few refreshments in there; those that they stocked every room with. Seeing that there was more told him that she came her more often then the average person. And that the staff liked her very much from the little display downstairs with Chelsea and the lengths they'd gone in here to make sure she was happy.

Glad that she was alone for the first time in the last couple of days Alleria dumped her bags on the teak floor of her room then collapsed onto the four poster king size bed. When she'd first come here she'd thought the navy silk sheets, six down filled pillows covered in cream Egyptian cotton cases, and tan down, cashmere comforter were a little over the top for her taste. But over time she'd gotten so use to the extremely soft feel of them that she'd gotten some for her home back in Texas.

Untying her boots she knew she needed to put her things away but couldn't get the energy to do so. Having gotten little to no sleep since this whole ridiculous attempt on her life fiasco had started sitting on the oh so comfortable bed was making her want to shut her eyes and drift off into dreamless bliss.

However she knew that was never going to come. Not with the man who was currently downstairs sleeping in the room across the hall from her. Every fiber of her being told her not to get close to him. To not trust him. He was nothing more than an arrogant, self centered womanizing bastard. Time spent here with her meaning nothing more then repaying a debt to M.

Suddenly feeling angry at herself for letting that fact slip by; for letting her guard down; Alleria found the energy she'd been lacking. Unzipping her duffle she set about placing clothes in the redwood dresser on the right of the door and the closet next to the bathroom.

That done she set her lab top on the small table that accompanied two chairs in the center of the room. Next she placed her black berry and palm pilot on the stand by her bed. Pulling up the paneling on her suitcase she took out the silver Browning nine millimeter she always carried; along with several clips. Opening the drawer she placed the items inside; covering them with several magazines she'd bought to read on the flight from London.

Lastly she took her toiletry and make-up bags, plus first aid kit into the bathroom. Themed as the rest of the penthouse with a cream colored marble floor, gray granite counter tops and a basin like sink with sterling silver faucets.

Flush against that was a shower big enough to fit five people. Opaque glass it had no lip which made it easy to step in to. Over in the far side of the room; taking up the majority of it was her saving grace. Jacuzzi hot tub with all the perks. White candles placed sporadically around it; ready for her to light if she felt the urge. As soon as she worked out her frustrations with a couple of good runs on the slopes she'd slip into it and lock herself away for a couple of hours.

Before she did anything else however the stitches in her arm needed to be cleaned and re-bandaged. In another day or so she was going to have to have them removed. With James shadowing her like a second skin it wasn't going to be easy. Something told her as she slipped out of her sweatshirt and t-shirt to be left standing in a razor back tank top that he already knew about her injuries. But was waiting for her to say something.

And now because of Chelsea and her big mouth the only secret she had left was close to being discovered. It was only a matter of time before Bond figured it out. Placing her hands on either side of the sink Alleria took a minute to take a good look at herself in the mirror.

Skin looking pale beneath her tan; face a little on the thin side causing her cheekbones to be more pronounced; she couldn't imagine why the Italian man had approached her in the first place. She looked like death warmed over twice. Added to all that was the dark circles under her eyes and fatigue mirrored in her lavender orbs.

One of two distinguishing features she'd contemplated covering up during her time with American Intelligence. When things like eye and hair color stood out it was easier for someone to identify you when the shit hit the fan.

Hence the reason why she'd been stuck wearing wig after wig on every mission. Once she'd tendered her resignation the need to be so covert about her looks wasn't such a high priority anymore. She'd just gotten so use to seeing them instead of her real hair that the black one adorning her head right was like a part of her. The urge to keep herself safe was so ingrained that it hadn't occurred to her that she kept wearing them as a defense mechanism. Both because of her job and the cruelness of the world around her.

Since she was a baby everyone had remarked on the odd coloring of her hair. Wondered if maybe there was something wrong with her. If the thick mane she'd grown as a child would fall out as she got older; leaving her bald. At first her parents hadn't bothered to find out why it had grown that way. Their child was healthy and thriving. As far as they were concerned she was normal. And her uniqueness had never bothered the young Romanian. Even when she'd made it to high school; where kids could be at their worst.

Then she'd gone to the village where her mother had grown up to visit her grandparents and their minds had been changed. People; especially the elders; had started calling her a _vrăjitoare_; witch. Saying that having her there brought bad spirits and that she was no longer welcome. It had brought shame to her unsuspecting _bunică_ and _bunic._

Once they'd returned home her parents had whisked her off to every specialist they could find. All of them came to the same conclusion. One that Alleria had already known. She was a normal, healthy teenager who happened to have something in her DNA that created the unique eye and hair color she possessed. That it caused no harm to her health; whether it be the near or distant future.

Given the fact that she wasn't a freak having been settled long ago. And that someone had managed to find her despite her disguise made it seem like there was no point in hiding it any longer. Reaching up she grasped the front of the wig; hesitating at what she was about to do.

_Oh to hell with it, _She thought and pulled it off.

Feeling a sense of completeness as her true mane tumbled down around her shoulders in a cascade of loose curls; the itchy but lovely wig now gone; Alleria set it aside. Unlatching the first aid kit she set about completing the task she'd come in here for. Other wise James would think something was wrong and coming barreling in like the hounds of hell were on his heels.

Having found some fresh strawberries in the fridge James had cleaned them off and poured the young woman a glass of champagne when he heard a string of curses both English and Romanian ring loudly through the up stairs.

Racing through the bottom level he took the steps two at a time until he reached the bedroom he'd heard the voice coming from. Happy to find her door unlocked he burst through it; eyes taking in the empty suitcases on her bed before landing on the bathroom.

Striding towards it he pushed the door open; not caring if she was decent or not as his eyes sought out the surprisingly large room for her.

"Alleria are you all right? I heard….." James trailed off.

Standing there; looking at him in embarrassment because of her outburst was the young woman. Gone was the black hair; wig actually; discarded on the side of the sink. In it's place was hair like he'd never seen. Bangs swept to the side of her forehead; as long as the wig had been; it was gray. Actually startling silver would be more accurate. Elegant curls streaked with jet black combined with the violet hue of her eyes to lend someone with a vision that would make any man sink to his knees and beg to be hers.

For once in his life he found his self right along with them.

"I'm fine." She assured. "I was trying to reach my stitches and got caught a little off balance. That's all."

Recovered enough to move he couldn't help his self as he stepped farther into the room and reached out to run a curl through his fingers. The wig had looked more real then her actual mane but now that he was touching it he knew he wasn't seeing things. It created a halo around the young woman; giving her an earthy, almost other worldly glow. Making her seem innocent and dangerous all at the same time.

"Why would you hide something so beautiful?" James seemed to have ignored her explanation.

Hand still in her hair; ice blue eyes studying her intently Alleria felt her cheeks start to flush. Felt her pulse speed up and heart beat accelerate. Being this close to him in such a vulnerable state; when he was being so nice; was taking a toll on her sanity. Her earlier mean against him was no longer plausible. In fact she couldn't remember why she'd been pissed at him in the first place. Now there was only the urge to step into his embrace. To let him hold her and tell her everything would be okay.

Luckily the rational part of her brain stepped in before she did something she'd regret; something to embarrass her self further. Stepping back she turned to the mirror and what she'd been doing before causing him to run to her false rescue.

"Because you know as well as I do that in the spy game something so beautiful is also extremely unique." Alleria thought her voice sounded a little too husky. "Which means it can get you killed if someone remembers it later on down the road."

Composure back in place after his little slip up James agreed. There was no way she'd have survived as long as she did if she hadn't concealed that tell tale feature. Secretly he still thought it was a shame it had to be hidden. Even felt hurt that there was the chance that if Chelsea hadn't opened her mouth the young Romanian woman wouldn't have said a word.

Seeing her struggling still with the stitches across the back of her upper arm he stepped forward to help her. Touching her moments ago had sent a jolt of electricity through him. As had the light kiss he'd given her on the front steps earlier. A feeling he hadn't even had with Vesper. And those had only been brief and feather light. He couldn't imagine what full, harder skin on skin contact would do to him.

Getting his bodies response in check as far as that was concerned was the number one priority. Walking around; having her consume his _every _waking thought wouldn't bode well when it came to her _safety. _He told his self that his resolve had nothing what so ever to do with the fact that he was starting to become attracted to her and everything to do with the job at hand. That he wasn't mesmerized by the silver haired beauty

_Hopefully you don't lie as bad on a mission as you do to yourself or you're in some serious trouble, _Bond inwardly grimaced.

"So you figured now that they've been able to find you anyway there's no point in hiding anymore." He said aloud.

"Something like that." Alleria agreed. "After a while you get sick of hiding behind a façade. Even if it means risking a bullet to the head."

Thinking was becoming hard with the feel of his calloused hand on her bare arm. Again her body was getting the best of her; over running her normally sensible brain. Or so she told herself. Deep down in her subconscious the young woman knew there were emotions involved in the mix. Exactly what they were or how strong had yet to be determined. If she had it her way the closest her emotions would get to being out of control was an extreme dislike for the man. So far her plan was being shot to pieces.

"Yes; but that same façade can make you realize how much you've been lying to yourself. That the price you're unwillingly going to pay in the end isn't worth it." James whispered.

Lavender orbs meeting blue ones Alleria took that moment to really study him. Behind those come hither stares and dangerous smirks was a man still healing. Hiding the fact that he was still reeling from Vespers betrayal beneath a steely gaze and tough as Rocky ways.

Having taken many late night calls from her aunt so the older woman could vent her frustrations the young Romanian was privy to every detail of the fiasco at Casino Royale in Montenegro and the events that had followed.

About how the young woman had let him fall in love with her. Led him away from his job and the only people he'd ever truly trusted. Then had the money deposited in an account other then the one MI6 had designated so she could save her boyfriend. A French-Algerian man who had turned out to be conning her blind. In the end she'd given her life to save the young double oh'.

M had told her that she believed Bond was on the road to recovery. That the Greene case in Bolivia had led him to the closure he'd desperately been seeking. And that may very well have been the case but something told her that the process wasn't going as fast as he would've liked.

Letting him secure the cloth bandage around the cut he'd just cleaned and the one on her forearm Alleria realized they had that in common. That they were more alike then she'd thought. Both expected to be the best in the game but fooled by those they'd loved. All along she'd been calling him all sorts of names in her head; thinking that he was just naturally a cold hearted bastard. It hadn't occurred to her that he was hiding behind a mirage in order to guard his heart. A feeling she knew all too well.

"Thank you." She whispered. "You keep being so nice to me and I'm not going to know what to do."

No longer able to hold her gaze; feeling as if she could see past all the barriers he'd put up; James concentrated on gathering the first aid kit. Tolerating her; keeping her safe for the duration of the holiday was part of his job. Allowing her to get under his skin; to bore through his eyes to the battered heart and soul that was still mending was not. Pulling his self back from the situation shouldn't have been that hard. They'd only known each other for a little over twenty four hours.

When their eyes had locked he'd seen some of his self in her. In the vulnerability she'd tried to hide just as she had her hair. Behind an object that everyone would accept instead of judge. Not letting this get personal was about as likely as it snowing in the middle of the rain forest.

"Will do mum." James nodded his head.

Nothing more was said as he left her standing there; tears welling in her eyes for herself as much as him. For giving into what she'd been feeling and pulling down her barriers. They may have both been betrayed by the ones they loved; but that's were the similarities stopped. During a time when she was trying to heal and move on with her life; to not give up on the faith she had in man kind he was willing to let them all burn. Willing to do whatever it took to get the job done and to hell with everyone else and how they felt. Determined to let the ice that had frozen his heart stay cold rather then give someone a chance to melt it all away.

The only sound in the room as she made her way to the closet to pull out her snowboarding gear was that of her heart breaking. Making it more then obvious that even if it was too soon for that to be happening it was also too late to turn back the clock.


	6. Chapter 6

Here it is; the chapter you've all been waiting for! Finally it starts to get interesting. I'm ashamed to say that I'm not very good at writing action sequences so forgive me if this happens to be on the horrible side. From now on I'm going to try to start posting two chapters or more at a time. Again thank you to all of those who have read and reviewed. It gives me renewed hope when I have writers block.

A/N: I couldn't remember the name of the embassy that Bond chased that man into in Casino Royale so I picked a country so forgive me for the inaccuracy.

I own nothing dealing with James Bond, Casino Royale, or Quantum of Solace.

Enjoy!

Chapter Six

"I thought you said we were going snowboarding." James yelled over the noise.

"We are." Alleria confirmed.

"Then what the bloody hell are we doing in this damn helicopter." James demanded.

Exchanges between them had been less than cordial since the moment they'd shared earlier in the day. Neither one knew how to act; how to feel. Were thrown completely off balance and it wasn't boding well. Though it hadn't come down to a full blown grudge match quite a few glares and snide remarks had been tossed about. They were a full one hundred and eighty degrees from the truce they'd established. And to his misfortune it royally pissed him off.

"We're going to start from the top and work our way down to the smaller slopes." Alleria informed. "Is that going to be a problem Bond?"

"No." He confirmed. "I was just curious as to why people don't get that the whole point of a vacation it to _relax_."

Settling her goggles and black tuc with white skulls on her head Alleria gave a rueful smile as the helicopter came to a stop. Hovering over a mountain aptly named Devil's Advocate.

"There are some of us who get the concept." She reminded. "We just choose to ignore it."

Giving a small salute and wink Alleria jumped out of the perfectly good air craft. Snowboard already attached to her feet and ready to go. Knowing the kind of impact that was coming the young woman braced herself for it accordingly. Crouching so as not to fall on her ass and go for a tumble that would make her body sore for days she cut through the snow like butter. Once she was slowed down enough to come to a nice stop she swerved herself around; expecting Bond to be right behind her.

However she was met with another very amusing sight.

Feet hanging over the edge; rental board attached to his boot clad feet Bond had a scowl marring his handsome face. At least she thought it was a scowl; from this distance it was hard to tell. Fear could've been a close second but she had a funny feeling that the only thing the young double oh' was afraid of was getting his heart broken again.

After all this was a man who'd chased a bomb maker through the streets of Madagascar. Engaged him in hand to hand combat on a crane two hundred feet in the air. Then to top it all off he'd blown up the Nigerian embassy.

So yeah; she definitely had to say that fear was not in his vocabulary. Given his past actions she had a feeling stupidity took up the mantel it left behind.

Finally; after what seemed like an eternity of standing with her hands on her hips; she saw him slid his goggles down and give the pilot a thumbs up before making the jump. To her surprise and his credit; he landed smoothly; sliding to a stop next to her.

Pulling up his eye wear he set them on his head before giving her the first real smile they'd exchanged since earlier that day. Even if it was laced with a tiny bit of sarcasm. Noticing the gleam in her eyes and the smirk gracing her lovely face Bond had the strange feeling she was enjoying this way too much.

"Do you always get amusement out of watching people possibly break a bone or two?" He raised a brow.

Widening her eyes; softening the smirk that she couldn't help but let slip; Alleria gave the best innocent look she could. "What would ever make you think that?"

Opening his mouth to speak he instantly shut it as a blur of movement caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. Paying close attention to the tree's that surrounded them on both sides; to the dips and hills that lay before them he saw it again. White on white the only way he'd noticed them was because of the small bit of black from their goggles showing; a contrast to the brighter color.

Then again it could've been the glint of the sun off the metal of the guns they were removing from their jackets as they came to a stop behind and in front of them.

"We've gotta go." James grabbed onto her arm.

"Bond what the hell are you doing?" Alleria growled.

Ignoring her he continued to hold onto her limb as they headed at a steady clip down the hill. Extracting her arm from his grasp in order to pull her goggles back down to protect her face the young woman wasn't sure what they were running from at break neck speed. Then she heard the pop, pop of a semi-automatic going off; felt the bullet whiz past her head to sink into a tree and knew they were in some deep shit.

Weaving back and forth to make it harder for them to hit her Alleria reached behind to take hold of the gun she'd hidden in the waist band of her snowboarding pants. Swiveling the top half of her body she came face to face with two men in white gully suits; Sig Suaers drawn and aimed to fire. Beating them to the punch she raised her own weapon; trying to get her balance as she continued the descent down the slippery slope. Firing off two shots she watched the red spread across their chests before they crumpled to ground. Lifeless bodies tumbling down the hill only to get stopped by the trunk of a massive pine tree.

Attention back in front of her she watched as another man came towards them in a blaze of white; hood down to be able to see better; brown hair the only thing giving him away. Seeing that he was headed straight for Bond she leaned forward to pick up speed. Knowing that the snowboard was going to get in the way but not having the time to remove it Alleria went for it. Pushing off the ground she leapt into a flying tackle.

Watching as the young Romanian and the man who'd been ready to put a bullet in his head tumbled down the hill in a tangle of arms and legs James propelled his self forward to help her when she inadvertently come to a stop. Raising his gun in the air he proceeded to take out another one who headed in the direction his friend and Alleria had headed.

Fighting on a crane hundreds of feet up in the air had seemed hard to him up until this point. Men in suits that made them blend into the background, moving at break neck speeds down a snow covered slope that was steep as hell made him seriously rethink his decision. Seeing the end of that particular hill in sight; the mountains and rock faces coming up incredibly fast at the bottom of the next one James gaze roamed the snow covered ground for the young woman and her blue jacket.

Fear lodged cold and hard in his throat when he saw her and the man she'd sacked still sliding towards the chasm that waited below. Small foliage and branches that had stuck up from underneath the snow smacking them both as she fought for the man to release her.

Eyes open for signs of anyone else he picked up his speed as much as he could; ready to slide on his side and hopefully help her out. Just as he was about to pivot his body two white jacket clad arms wrapped around his throat; effectively stopping any action he might have taken. Trying to move his board back and forth to shake him off he realized that they were on top of one another. That if he shook him too hard he'd go down with him.

Instead he tried for an elbow in the gut in order to get the man to loosen his grip. Once, twice; finally the third time the arms that were in the process of strangling him let go a fraction of an inch. Not much but it was enough for him to be able to throw the man over his shoulder; aiming in the direction of the tree line they'd come closer to on their decent.

Hearing the satisfying thud of a body hitting solid wood he wasn't able to allow his self the luxury of looking back.

Out of no where; having caught him when his attention was else where; another man came at him. This one two times bigger then the one who'd just tried to strangle him moments ago. It was hard to tell he was even there until James felt the weight of his meaty fist connect with his face. Reeling backwards he fought hard to keep his balance; knowing that if he fell he'd be of no use to Alleria.

Turning sideways he clamped his board down on top of the other mans; getting as close as possible before landing an answering punch on the mans meaty jaw. Head snapping back only slightly the man settled an annoyed gaze on him before giving a ruthful smile.

_Oh bloody hell, _James thought.

Nothing else registered in his brain as the man used his ribs and stomach as a punching bag. Blocking them was becoming more and more useless and he fought against the sway of the boards over slick snow; bumps making them hop in the air every now and then. Finally managing to block another elbow to the gut he met the burly mans chin with an upper cut; all his weight behind it.

That having given him some leeway room as the man listed to the right; looking as if he might fall any minute Bond saw that as his chance to end it. Throwing his body backwards he brought his legs; snowboard and all; to ram into the mans chest. In his semi-coherent state he had no control over his body. That combined with the impact of the hit pushed him back. Smirking as the man went ass over tea kettle towards the trees the young double oh' left him in a heap; gaze searching the hill as he got up and continued his way down.

Ramming another fist into the mans face; determined as all get out to get him to let go of her Alleria inwardly grimaced as another branch whacked her back. Snow in places she didn't even know snow could get to, scratches and bruises littering her face she had no idea how long they'd been tumbling. Or how far they had before ending up as road kill at the bottom of the next slope.

Blocking another hit aimed at her stomach she forgot about the snowboard as she tried to bring her knee up into his groin. Using one hand to block the blows he was trying to land she reached down to grope for the pocket where her hunting knife was hidden. Somehow knowing what she was planning on doing he struggled to grab her free hand.

Having had enough of this bullshit she caught sight of a limb just ahead of them that looked big enough to support her weight. Bringing a hand up to grab a hold of it. Feeling as if her shoulder was about to be yanked out of the socket she ignored the pain to take the window of opportunity that had been given.

Retrieving the knife she slipped the sheath off. Against his struggles and strangled protest she raised her arm; sun gleaming off the metal as she rammed it into his side. Eyes widening at the realization of what had happened the black haired man gave one last attempt to take her life by reaching up to wrap his slowly waning grip around her neck.

Shaking him off Alleria watched as he slid down the hill; lifeless body unable to find purchase in the snow. Sticking her board firmly in the ground she let go of the branch she'd been hanging onto like a lifeline. Resting her head in the cold earth she let herself relax as much as possible.

This was so not how she'd wanted to start off her vacation. Granted she'd wanted some excitement; a little bit of an adrenaline rush. But this was insane! Emotions running the gamete from pissed off to angry to down right scared out of her mind the young Romanian was running on low. Every bone in her body ached; felt like it was broken. Some where along the way her jacket had gotten ripped as well. She could feel the wetness and cold of the snow on her back.

Hearing the swish of a snowboard or ski's behind her she bolted upright; senses back on high alert as she pivoted and let her knife fly. Noticing that it was the young double oh' she became relaxed once again; letting her body drop to the position it had been moments ago.

Ducking as he saw the weapon coming at him James had to say that even though he hadn't appreciated that he was glad to see that she was okay. During the whole fiasco all he'd been worried about was her. If she was okay and able to hold her own. Even if he hadn't made it out alive and she would have he'd considered his job done.

"I don't know about you but personally I think I've had enough weapons aimed at my head for one day." He sat down in the snow next to her.

"Sorry about that." Alleria apologized. "Still got adrenaline running through my system."

"Think nothing of it." James waved her off.

Reaching out she gently touched his face where a bruise had started to form below his right eye. Other then a couple of cuts here and there he seemed no more worse for the wear. However she had the strange feeling she looked distinctly like road kill.

"You okay?" Alleria questioned.

"Never better." Bond assured. "You?"

"Happy that I can cross of the part of my to do list were it says "get ambushed by contract killers." "Now I can I can truly begin my holiday." Allleria joked.

Ignoring her try at humor Bond gently reached out to run a hand down her face; wincing at the cuts and bloody nose he saw. Once that was done he checked one arm then another; stopping when he saw her cringe at the contact he made with her right shoulder. Deciding not to probe any further for the time being he helped her to her feet.

"I think maybe it would be a good idea to call the hotel helicopter and have it come pick us up instead of continuing on." He advised.

Pulling herself up the hill with the aide of the trees that had also saved her life Alleria pulled her knife out of the tree it'd sunk into. Wiping the blood off with some snow she stowed it back in her pocket before joining him once again.

"You're just saying that because you don't want to keep going." She teased.

Knowing that her play at being funny was nothing more then a defense mechanism to cover up the fact that she was going to fall apart at any moment James decided not to take the bait. Instead he forgot about the fact that he was trying to keep his distance. Forgot about trying to keep his heart from getting hurt. Because seeing a woman as strong as her so vulnerable. So beat up; both figuratively and literally; made the armor he'd built up develop a crack. One that would continue to grow as her life came into more and more peril.

Leaning forward he placed a light kiss on her lips; brushing the tears that silently started to fall as he pulled back.

"Let's just call them so we can get back and get cleaned up; okay." James whispered.

Not trusting her voice she simply nodded her head as she pulled out her cell phone. Thankful that it hadn't been damaged; and that she had something to do to hide her shaking hands; Alleria scrolled down the list of numbers to find the one she needed. Just when she thought she'd be able to pull herself together. Be able to keep herself in control until they made it back to the hotel where she could fall apart in solitude he had to go and be nice to her again.

Reminding herself that it was only because of the dangerous situation she'd found the number and was getting ready to push send when the sound of the aircraft in question filled the sky. Getting a funny feeling about the situation she brought her index finger down to the side of her phone where a tiny switch lay. Flipping it on she activated the tracking device both in her phone and the one they put in her arm before making the trip to Colorado.

Sensing the same feeling the young Romanian woman was Bond let his hand glide to the gun he'd placed back in the waistband of his pants once the fun had ended. He wasn't sure his body or hers could take much more abuse after that little run down the hill. Grabbing a hold of her arm for the second time that day he slowly eased them down the slope; seeing not other way to go.

Straining her eyes to catch a good look at what; or who; was in the helicopter Alleria found herself wishing she hadn't.

Sitting on the edge was a man in the same kind of gully suit the others had been wearing. However that wasn't what had her swearing all sorts of things under her breath. Resting on his shoulder was a Russian rocket launcher; aimed at the very place they were standing.

"James we need to get the hell out of here." She ordered.

"Ready for a flying lesson?" He questioned.

Understanding what he was talking about Alleria turned her board to face the end of the slope at the same time he did. Opening her mouth to speak as they sped down the hill she found her words cut off as a resounding boom echoed through the mountains around them.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion after that. Launching into the air she could hear the sound of the mountains falling apart around them; an avalanche waiting to happen. Caught off balance by it all she and James both tanked the landing; rolling down the hill in unceremonious heaps.

Seconds passed after they landed before she came too; shaking her head to clear it. Vision slightly blurry she looked up to see a torrent of snow headed their way; chopper long gone by now. Unlatching her board as quickly as possible Alleria stumbled over to where James prone body lay.

Turning him over she immediately knew he was unconscious. Even before she saw the blood seeping from the gash on his forehead. While she'd been lucky enough to avoid any of the bigger rocks he had not. Not wanting to die out here in the middle of bumfuck no where she hefted the double oh's lifeless body onto her shoulders in a fire mans carry.

Trying not to think about the wall of snow coming towards them she ignored the protest in her legs from the dead weight of the British man. What seemed like an eternity passed as she made little progress. With the snow up to her knees and about two hundred pounds of lifeless male weight settled on her shoulder it was slow and hopeless going.

Not being able to take one more step she dropped to her knees; flopping Bond's body on the ground. Tears welling in her eyes at the knowledge that this could be the end Alleria didn't know what else to do but hope and pray that the tracking device they'd put in her arm would be enough for the cavalry to find her and James before it was too late.

Fatigue getting the best of her the last thing she remembered before a blanket of white covered them was trying to protect his body with hers. Whispering more for herself then him that everything was going to be okay. That they were going to make it out of this alive.

God willing.


	7. Chapter 7

_Here is yet another chapter. Sorry it took so long I seemed to have lost my muse of inspiration but it's back; hopefully to stay. I realize I left you all in quite a cliffhanger last time but I promise this will be the resolve to that tense situation. _

_Another note my spell check seems to be on the fritz at the moment so if there are a ton of errors I apologize. I've tried to go over it with a fine tooth comb. _

_Thanks to all those who have reviewed. It definitely helps. I look forward to more with this addition. _

_Again I own nothing dealing with Quantom of Solace, Casino Royale or James Bond._

_Enjoy!_

_**Chapter 7**_

"_**Bond when was the last time you slept?"**_

_**Bringing his head up from where it lay against the cushion of the chair he'd had brought in M was met with a tired looking pair of blood shot eyes. Clothes rumpled; twp days growth of stubble gracing his chin. Hand gripping Alleria's limp one tightly he looked worse than she felt. **_

_**Not one for surprises the head of MI6 had gotten more than her fill in the last thirty six hours.**_

_**The team hadn't noticed the blip on the screen denoting the young woman's tracking device until six hours after it had appeared. Once they'd been able to get her exact location M had been on the first flight to Colorado. Bad news was she'd walked out in the middle of a meeting with the prime minister. A job was a job; but Alleria was the only family the older woman had left.**_

_**Hoping things weren't as bad as her gut was telling her she found that it had all been for nothing. Word had reached her as the place was taking off from Britian that an avalanche had occurred on the slopes where the two had been snowboarding.**_

_**Despite her high ranking position she had no assets in the Rocky Mountain state. So they'd had to stop the aircraft from taking off so they could commander another place for the rescue team that'd be accompanying them.**_

_**Come to find out that by the time they'd made it to the mountain in question a search and rescue team was already on sight. Wanting to keep her whereabouts as well as Bonds under the radar she volunteered the team she'd brought to help. Telling them that they had two British relief workers here on holiday and had a personal interest in seeing that they were okay. Grateful for any help they could get the man in charge didn't question their willingness.**_

_**While that was going on m took two agents with her and using the GPS they'd brought; tracked Alleria and the double oh to their exact location. Having faced quite a few scary situations in her lifetime the older woman had to admit that she'd never dealt with anything as gut wrenching as waiting to see if her niece was going to be pulled out of that mound of snow alive or dead. **_

_**Finally after what seemed an eternity but had only been an hour they found them. Bond had been the only one conscious; but they'd both been alive. And that's all that mattered. Suffering from severe hypothermia no time had been wasted in whisking them away to the hospital. Being the bigger of the two it'd been shocking as to why he was healthy; save for some cuts and bruises. But Alleria was unconscious; no definite time line given as to when she'd wake up.**_

_**Following complete exams by one of the hospitals bet physicans the mystery was solved. Being the only one conscious when the avalanche had started the young woman tired to carry the British man out over her shoulder. When it became too much for her tried and battered body to bear she'd stopped. Covering his larger body with her smaller one in an attempt to keep him alive.**_

_**Unable to retreive anyone of the men who'd attacked them from the snow alive they were no closer to finding out who was after her. Placing a call to turn in some favors M found out that none of the organizations the ex-intelligence officer had helped to dismantle were showing an excessive chatter concerning a contract out on anyone.**_

"_**Not sure." He ran a hand over his face. "I can sleep when I'm dead."**_

_**Stepping over to the side of the bed M hazard a glance at the mountains before landing it on the woman who's life they'd almost taken. Once they'd found out that physically the woman was okay. That the reason why she was in acoma was her bodies way of dealing with the shock. Away to keep her alive; give her body a fighting chance; she'd arranged to have Alleria brought back to the hotel.**_

_**A round the clock nurse had been brought in to take care of her. Whatever doctor happened to be on call at the hospital stopped by to check on her. Heart monitor and IV rack attached to her body. Skin pale white against the awful blue hospital gown; hair fanned out behind her like a shining halo.**_

_**Tears sprang to her eyes at seeing someone so strong; someone once so full of life; looking as if she'd never wake up. As if she'd never be the same again. And all of it for a man who M wasn't sure even appreciated it. Even understood the scope of what Alleria had done. All of it done after only knowing him for twenty-four hours.**_

_**Emotions getting the best her she opened her mouth to speak but snapped it shut at the sight before her.**_

_**Big hand gentle as she'd ever seen it Bond reached out to brush some stray hair from the woman's face. Lips set in a grim line she saw that it was to stop them from quivering. Eyes filled with unshed tears he leaned forward to place a light kiss on her forehead. After that he took a wet cloth out of the basin on the stand by the bed and gently dabbed it to keep her temperature regulated. The only had part of her healing process was that her body heat constantly fluctuated up and down. More on the upside as of late.**_

_**Something had changed about him since he'd met her niece. Something had cracked and allowed him to truly care about someone again. Why or how it had happened she wasn't sure and didn't care. Bond was finally starting to act like a human being again.**_

_**Whether or not that meant he'd no longer be a cold hearted, egotistical bastard had yet to be seen. If a woman such as Vesper could make him change then surely her niece could.**_

_**Unfourtantely there was still a lot of ice that needed to be melted off his heart along the way. And given what he'd already been through it was hard to guess how long it would take. Something told her that down the course of that road people were bound to get hurt. Damned if Alleria would be one of them. The poor girl was just like the young double oh in that sense. She'd had enough pain and gut wrenching heart ache to last four lifetimes.**_

"_**Bond can I speak to you for a moment." M motioned for him to proceed her out the door.**_

_**Brushing one last strand of hair out of the way he whispered in Alleria's ear that he'd be right back. Heading out the door he knew it may seem crazy to most people but he had been told that those in acoma could still hear when you spoke to them. And right now he'd do anything he could to get her back. Even revealing things about his life that he hadn't told anyone; not even Vesper.**_

_**After all this time he was able to say her name without wanting to spit in disgust. Somehow through all the fighting, then their truce, and the moment that had transpired between them in the bathroom the young woman had managed to make him able to forgive.**_

_**Confronting Mr. White and the organization he worked for. The same organization that had helped finance Greene's project. Where Vesper's so called boyfriend had worked had given him some measure of closure. But after the whole situation was all said and done he'd lost his faith; his trust; in humanity. Given the line of buisness he was in that wasn't necissarily a bad thing. Having grown up in an orphanage then at Oxford by the grace of someone else's charity; something some people just couldn't let go; you could say he'd lost both a long time ago.**_

_**Loving someone; the knowledge that there really was someone out there for everyone. That particular brand of faith was something he'd held strong and steadfast to until a year ago. Then he'd given up all the instincts that had gotten him where he was today and ended up getting one rude awakening. One he hoped to never get again. Once in a lifetime he could handle. Could deal with and move on; even if there were some who believed he still hadn't. Twice was like kicking a man where it hurt the most.**_

"_**Did you find anything more?" He demanded.**_

_**Gesturing for him to take a seat M was surprised when he chose to stand; leaning against the frame of the French double doors. Gaze fixed on the mountains as if giving them a nasty look would make them pay for what had happened to Alleria.**_

"_**Unfouranetly no." M informed. "There was no one left alive for us to question. Not to mention when the search and rescue team found no id on the bodies they were whisked away to the mourge for fingerprinting. Though I doubt it'll do them any bloody good."**_

"_**Why didn't you stop them?" James narrowed his eyes. "Tell them who you were and confiscate one. We have access to a hell of a lot more databases than the local police do."**_

"_**First of all were on American soil; on something that is not considered a sanctioned mission." M reminded. "Secondly were trying to keep Alleria's where abouts discreet as possible."**_

"_**Because I'm sure the rescue workers that helped pull us out aren't going to remember the woman with a head full od silver and jet black hair." Bond shot back.**_

_**Patience at it's wits end because of the events of the last day and a half M slammed the folder she'd been holding down on the table. It had been brought with her as a favor to Bond. To help him better understand the woman he was protecting. The woman he was starting to fall for. And in a selfish way on her part she hoped maybe he'd be able to figure out an angle that she and Alleria hadn't.**_

_**However she got a quick reign on her temper before lashing out at him. Neither on had gotten much sleep the last couple of days. Both at their breaking point about who could be behind it all. About who would want her dead. Even though there was one theory M had kept close to her vest up until this point. One she would share with the double oh after he pulled his self together.**_

"_**I'm going to sidestep that little sarcastic comment of yours because we're both beyond exhausted." She snapped.**_

"_**Funny." Bond gave a ruthful grin. "That never stopped you before." **_

_**Gritting her teeth against the retort that threatened to spill out she found that this time that technique wasn't going to cut it.**_

"_**If you'd stop acting like an ass for five minutes you'd realize we're both affected by what's going on." M fumed. "Why you are so much about a woman you've barely known for seventy two hours is beyond me."**_

_**Pushing off his leaning post; having had enough of her beating him down; Bond stalked across the room till he was toe to toe with the older woman. Having to look down at the shorter person and her intense gaze.**_

"_**I suppose you think I'm incapable of being anything but a cold hearted bastard." He seethed.**_

_**Unintimidated by his closeness; by the hatred she saw burning in his gaze the head of MI6 plowed forward.**_

"_**I think you care about Alleria more than you're willing to admit." M observed. "That you're scared and hiding behind your ego. And that same ego has the possability to get you both hurt if you let it."**_

"_**You don't think my hearts involved in any of this?" James couldn't believe she was that cold.**_

"_**No." M countered. "I think it's very much involved but your ego outweighs everything else. I've said it before and I'll say it again; take that particular item out of the equation."**_

_**Every time the older woman gave advice it was always scarily accurate. Always right on point with the situation at hand. Problem was; as with every other time she'd tried; Bond wasn't sure if he could take it.**_

_**Early on in life he'd learned that being an arrogant prick got you further than trying to nice ever would. At least according to the people he'd been surrounded with growing up. Willing to take risk; to do whatever was necessary to get the job done no matter what the cost was what had attracted the British Secret Service to him in the first place. Problem was that particular trait had worn thin with them rather quickly. There in also lie the fact that without his ego to make him believe he was invincible none of what he'd accomplished would've happened.**_

"_**What if there's nothing left to give once it's gone?" James finally spoke.**_

"_**Why don't you let her be the judge of that." M inclined her head towards the bedroom.**_

_**How he'd love for that to be able to be so. But just because he no longer thought of Vesper with anger and disdain didn't mean he was ready to be put under the microscope again. Not to mention Alleria had been less than friendly towards him before this had all happened. Though the hostility between them wasn't entirely her fault he'd still felt a little vexed. Of course the knowledge that someone might possibly lose their life by having saved yours tended to make a person extremely humble.**_

"_**Will do mum." James gave a nod. "But I make no promises."**_

"_**In the mean time get something to eat and clean yourself up." M instructed, "No sense you looking like hell and scaring the day lights out of Alleria when she wakes up."**_

"_**And this?" James gestured towards the folder on the coffee table.**_

"_**Alleria's unoffical file." M answered. "Once you've gotten some sleep in an actual bed and not the chair in her room as well as squared yourself away I want you to look over it. Maybe you'll find something we missed."**_

"_**I thought you were still going the whole conspiracy theory angle?" James was confused.**_

"_**It hasn't been forgotten." M informed. "But some things about this whole situation aren't adding up to turn one hundred percent in that direction."**_

"_**Like what?" James questioned.**_

_**Standing she headed for the stairs; hand on the rail before turning to answer. "Sorry Bond but for now I'm keeping that to myself. And you aren't going to be able to find it on my computer so don't bother trying to hack anything."**_

_**Too tired to have a witty come back ready he walked her to the door; locking it securely behind. Back upstairs he headed to Alleria's room; the nurse having left to take the rest of the day off. A button on the side of the bed could be pushed in case of an emergency. Having gotten her a room next door she could be here in a matter of seconds.**_

_**Noticing her heart rate and breathing were both steady he fought the urge to sit back down; keep watch over her fragile form. Upon meeting her he never would've thought he'd use that word and her name in the same sentence. Then again he'd never thought that in a matter of forty eight hours he'd start to fall for the young Romainian Never a big believer in fate he had to say that it had a strange way of showing up in times when you didn't think you needed it. Times when in all actuality the opposite was in fact true.**_

_**Struggling with his self he finally decided to take M's advice; knowing there was nothing he could do right now except watch over the young woman. Once in the bathroom he turned the shower on; letting the water get warm while his mind tried desperately to start the shut down process that would allow him a solid eight hours of sleep.**_

_**Try as he might Bond couldn't get M's words out of his head. It was the one thing stopping the switch in his brain from flipping to off. What other angle could there be to pursue? And why would the older woman be so tight lipped about it? Especially to him of all people. The only viable reason he could fathom was that one of Alleria's cases was coming back to bite her in the ass. If that was true then she in an even bigger shit ton of trouble then orginally thought. Because those kind of people could be worse then any politican could even imagine to be.**_

_**Stepping under the spray he welcomed the warmth; feeling it already working it's magic on his sore and tired muscles. Dread formed an icy ball in his stomach; unable to allow him full relaxation. At this moment; and for god knows how long; Alleria was in the most vulnerable state possible. If word had managed to leak about what happened. About the state she was currently in; they'd have a whole new kind of pest to deal with. Bad bad or good bad people like this didn't leave anything to chance. The young woman knew enough on either side to make their lives a living hell.**_

_**In that case he'd just have to make his self and Alleria next to impossible to deal with.**_

_**And everyone knows how good I am at that, **_**Bond grinned wickedly.**


	8. Chapter 8

**I know I spoiled all of you by giving you that nice little scene on the mountain but I'm afraid I've decided to turn the story back to the more romantic yet complicated side of Bond and Alleria's relationship for a moment.**

**Juicy stuff we becoming make no mistake; it's just going to be a little longer in coming (this would be me grinning wickedly!)**

**I own nothing dealing with Casino Royale or Quantom of Solace.**

**Keep the reviews coming and enjoy!**

**Chapter Eight**

Fog; thick and heavy; drifted through her mind. Eyelids feeling as if a pound of sand filled them.

For the second time she tried to pry them open; finding success when a slit of light assaulted her irises. Trying a final time she had to immediately shut them when the sunlight streaming through her window was too much.

Lifting her hand to shield her sensitive orbs the young woman felt a tug followed by a sharp pain. Moving her suddenly heavy head she tried not to panic at the IV sticking in her left limb. Reaching to her chest she felt the cool plastic and hard metal of EKG leads attached to her skin. More alert then when she'd first woken Alleria let the room come into focus. Relaxing as she found that she was in her hotel room rather than a hospital.

What she didn't understand was why she was hooked up to several machines like a damn robot. Why her body felt dog tired and sore as shit but fully rested at the same time. Not fond of hospitals or anything related to them she wasted no time in rippling the needle from her arm. Pulling the leads off she ignored the heart monitor as it went nuts.

Tossing back the covers she swung her legs over the side of the bed; wanting to know what the hell had happened and where Bond was hiding. Unfortunately her unused limbs had other plans because the minute she put weight on them her body crumpled to a heap on the carpeted floor.

In the middle of making a cup of tea James was just about to bring the hot brew to his lips for a sip when he heard the thud from upstairs. Ignoring the shattering of the ceramic as it fell to the floor he took the stairs two at a time. Heart pounding in his ears as he flung the door open.

Struggling to get up was Alleria; head turned in his direction and a gun from god knows where pointed in his direction. Despite the situation he found his self chuckling at that certain fact.

"Are you going to just stand there and laugh or help me up?"

Speechless and overjoyed at the fact that she was awake so soon the British man promptly obliged. Though not trusting her aim or strength to hold the weapon at the moment he carefully detached the gun from her grip. Putting the safety on before setting it aside.

Cradling the surprisingly light woman in his arms James felt his self smile when she gripped his neck for dear life; snuggling closer into his body heat. Getting ready to set her back on the bed he felt a tug at his heart when she refused to let go; forcing him to put his self under the covers with her. Of course there was the little fact that he'd been waiting for this moment to come. Waited for when she'd wake up. When he could hold her close and thank god she was still alive.

When the rescue workers had found them the double oh had been dazed. Confused about where they were and what the bloody hell had happened. Then he'd seen them pull Alleria's limp body from the snow and it'd all come rushing back.

The men who'd come after them; fighting tooth and nail to make it off that mountain alive. How he'd been knocked out right after they'd seen the RPG headed for the cliff side. Everything between that and the helicopter ride to the hospital was a blank. Truthfully everything up until the diagnosis the doctor had given was blurred in his memory. All he'd been consumed with was the young Romanians pale face. Lips blue from hypothermia that was starting to set in.

Holding back the tears and frustration hadn't been an option as he'd fought with the emergency room workers to be by her side through the entire process. At one point they'd threatened to kick him out. Never in his life; even when he'd watched Vesper die before his eyes; had he been so helpless. So desperate to save someone.

Granted they'd gotten off to a less than perfect start the ex-intelligence officer had grown on him. Despite everything she'd been through. The odds she'd faced Alleria still managed to have an up beat; positive out look on life. And even when she knew the situation she currently found herself in couldn't be fought alone she refused to drag another life into the mix.

More than that she'd started to melt the thick sheet of ice he'd built around his heart over the last couple of years.

Quick witted, intelligent and able to take care of herself the young woman represented a challenge to him. Both mentally and physically. Plus the fact that she risked her own life to save his after he'd been horrible to her couldn't be ignored.

When it came down to the bare knuckles version of it James had serious feelings for the silver haired beauty. Would do whatever it took to keep her safe.

"I take it this means you've warmed to me." Bond mused.

"Well I did try to save your ass from being buried alive but make of it what you will." Alleria's unused voice sounded harsh.

Reaching behind him the young British man grabbed the cup of water sitting on the stand. Helping her sit up he held the cup as she slowly sipped; knowing her unused vocal cords needed nourishment. Once he was sure she had her fill he set the drink aside; gently pulling her back into his arms. As far as he was concerned she could stay right there for the next month.

Unfortunately he knew things would never turn out that way. The young Romanian woman was going to be more determined than ever to find out who wanted her dead. Which meant she was going to be twice as stubborn and pig headed than before.

"Do you remember anything else?" James wondered.

Snuggled under the blankets; wrapped in his arms Alleria didn't want to think about what had happened. About how for the first time in her life she'd been one hundred percent truly scared. Had given into the notion that they wouldn't make it out alive. Those were two feelings she never wanted to deal with again.

Bullets had flown past her head many a time. She'd jumped from a moving train. Been in the path of speeding cars more times then her dear aunt would want to know. Diffused bombs and launched herself out of a plane without a parachute. Done things most people only saw in movies.

And none of that had compared to the certainty she'd felt as the snow buried them that they were going to die. Slowly; as she'd tried to regain her bearings after falling in a heap; the young Romanians memory had started to come back.

They'd been ready to make their way down the hill after safely exiting the chopper. Noise of the rotor blades had made it to her ears just as Bond grabbed a hold of her arm. Then it'd been a race against time once they'd been able to dispatch the six men trying to beat the crap out of them. Of course they had the advantage of having an RPG in a helicopter hovering above them.

Something about that particular piece was bugging her to no end but she couldn't put her finger on why. Body tired; brain drained from all the activity of the day. How long she'd been unconscious would be hard to tell. But it was going to take some time for her to get back to her full strength.

"Pretty much the whole incident." Alleria confessed. "And what I don't my body is painfully reminding me of."

"Do you have any idea who it could've been?" James questioned.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Alleria grimaced. "Intelligence is a risky business; you know that. I'm sure there's probably a list as tall as you of people I've pissed off."

"M brought your file by." James told her. "Both the public and non. Thought that if we both looked it over something would jump out."

"And I guarantee it's a thick ass folder." Alleria started to get up. "So we should probably get crackin' at it."

Sending up a silent prayer that he wouldn't receive bodily harm from the good deed he was about to do James sprang out of bed. Gently he pushed the young woman back to a prone position.

"The only thing you're going to get crackin' at it a shower or bath and some food." The British man argued.

"Do I really smell that bad?" Alleria joked.

Unsure of what to say about the fact that she hadn't fought him tooth and nail Bond chalked it up to the disorientation of just waking up. Once she was at her full strength it'd be good to have her back. Because frankly this non-argumentative one scared him slightly.

"No but you've been in acoma for close to seventy-two hours." James informed. "And I'm guessing you're going to want to look a little less like death when the doctor comes to check on you."

"Is that really necessary?" Alleria wondered. "Can't we just chalk me waking up to a miracle and move on?"

Realizing from that little statement how much she disliked anything dealing with hospitals; even if she wasn't actually in one; he wished he could give her that leeway. But M wasn't taking any chances with her health and for the first time ever he was agreeing with her. Protecting her was his job but it would be a lot easier if she was able to take care of herself should the occasion call for it. The sooner he was satisfied that she had a clean bill of health the sooner that would become a reality. Right now however he had to deal with her arguing; something he was glad was back because frankly he had started to get worried.

"You already know the answer so I don't know why you're asking." James reminded.

Scowling at his back as he went to her closet; no doubt grabbing a robe; Alleria knew it'd been a stupid question to pose in the first place. But she was still slightly disoriented about how long she'd been knocked out and the fact that she was still alive. Most people she knew after an avalanche like one she'd seen racing down the hill towards them would be deader the pharaohs. Whatever the reason she was more then thankful.

And it seemed so was the double oh. No longer was he treating her like she was leaper as he had after their encounter in the bathroom right before their snowboarding expedition. Clinging to him once he'd picked her up had been part instinct; part weakness. Scared beyond words when she'd woken up in a hospital gown with IV's sticking out of her like she was a freaking Thanksgiving turkey the young woman had clung to the one thing; the one person that made her feel safe.

Bearings slowly returning after a few moments she was afraid of what he'd do once the excitement of her waking had passed and he realized he was getting too close to the situation again. To her great relief he hadn't pushed her away; hadn't made excuses for why he shouldn't be holding her like he was. Honestly in her current mind set she probably would've burst into tears.

"Fine; but that doesn't mean I have to like it." Alleria stuck her tongue out at him.

Rolling his eyes at her childish antics he headed towards the bed; holding the robe out for her to put on. Quicker she was in the shower or bath the quicker he could call M and give her the news. Not to mention get a head start on her file while she washed the grim of the last three days off. Despite her seeming openness to him since waking and even before her accident there was something she wasn't telling him. Something she either refused to get into or it could just be his imagination.

"I'd expect nothing less" James questioned as she gingerly stood; letting her tie the sash on her own. "Now what do you want for clothes?"

"Oh for Christ sakes I can get them myself." Alleria growled. "It's bad enough you had to help me put this on."

Going along with what she asked; frustration evident on her face as she slowly rose to her feet; James stood nearby ready to catch her if she fell. Weakness and vulnerability were not something that went hand in hand with the ex-operative. But now as she got her bearings; testing her legs one step at a time he saw her trying to hide both from her expression.

Cursing those who had done this to her under his breath as well as his self for not protecting her he kept a watchful eye as she headed towards the closet and set of dressers next to it. The entire situation had been a goat fuck from the beginning; anyone would agree with that. Mess or not he was in charge of keeping her safe; of seeing that no harm came to her.

Finding that the opposite had in fact happened. That she had in turn used her own body in order to keep him alive tended to put things in perspective for a person.

Dwelling on what might have been wasn't going to help either of them right now. So for the sake of his sanity as well as her well being he would push is aside and focus on the task at hand. Which was making sure she didn't fall flat on her face with the clothing in her hands as she turned to head for the bathroom. Having the bath ready and waiting for her would've been better but when someone was in a coma it was kind of hard to plan stuff like that.

"You should probably get something to eat." James informed. "What would you like and I'll fix it while you wash up."

Searching for towels in the cupboard next to the counter that she'd set her garments on Alleria had to admit that she'd love a steak. Unfortunately her stomach definitely wouldn't be able to handle something that big after several days of more or less IV feedings. Plus she didn't plan on being that long. Just enough so that she could get clean then start cracking on the information her aunt had brought them. It'd been so long since she'd seen it last that it wouldn't surprise her if she forgot half of what was in it. Then again she had the strange feeling that the file the older woman had dug up was beyond what she'd ever been given the chance to see.

"Just some tea and toast." She answered. "Anything else should probably wait till a little later."

Resisting the urge to reach out and help her as she lowered herself onto the edge of the tub James instead poured some bubble bath into it. Testing the water his self to make sure it wasn't too hot. Fever having broken the day before she woke up there was no telling if it would suddenly go back up if she stayed in for any length of time.

"Do you want me to stay until your settled?" He questioned.

Unnerved and not all together sure what to think about his attentiveness Alleria tried hard to not feel the affects of the concern she could see swimming in his blue green eyes. And damned if it wasn't a losing battle.

Never had she had a man; even the one she'd thought she was going to spend the rest of her life with; treat her like she was as fragile as a piece of glass. Granted there were times she hated it; like when she was trying to do her job. But when she'd just woken up from one hell of a nap; still scared to death about what had happened it was a welcome change.

Problem with that was her stubborn streak; the part that was use to taking care of herself

hurt or other wise was seeing it as a bad thing and shouting out the urge to fight back. Something as ingrained as that; as compassionate or caring as the man in question may be; was hard to get rid of.

Honestly you'd think that after everything they'd been through. The rocky start; their moment together in bathroom where god only knows what had sparked between them that she'd just put it all aside to let him in. Let him continue to breakdown the wall she'd built around her heart over the years. But not for the first time her mouth answered for her before that particular organ and her brain had the chance to catch up.

"As much as I'm sure you'd love to see me in my birthday suite I'll pass."

Clamping down the what the hell made you say that line that was on the tip of his tongue James said nothing as she shut the water off; obviously meaning it to be his queue to leave. Body half turned to do exactly that he hesitated before making a decision.

During the days sitting next to her bed; keeping her temperature down and talking to pass the time he'd started to care about her beyond what was expected. Past the bodyguard/client relation to genuinely giving a damn what she thought about him. About the kind of person he was. At first he'd tried to fight it. To lock it away in a little corner of his brain and forget about it.

His heart however had different plans and he was going right along with it because for once in his life he didn't have the energy nor did he want to fight it.

Brushing away a strand of hair that had fallen into her eyes James gently ran his thumb across the bruise that had formed on her jaw. Leaning down he stopped whatever protest was on her lips by brushing his own gently against them. Opening his eyes once they parted he saw confusion swimming in the tears that had formed but not fallen.

"The only thing I'm concerned with is keeping you safe. Because some how, some way you've gotten under my skin and I'm sure as hell not letting you go once this is all done."

Words escaping her it didn't seem to matter. Another quick kiss later and he was gone; striding out the door, closing it gently behind her so that she had some privacy. Legs unsteady; not because of her current physical state but due to what his intimate touch had done to her Alleria slowly lowered herself to the top step.

Danger; bodily harm was something she'd learned to deal with in her life. Had in fact gotten so use to it that some people went so far as to call her an adrenaline junky. Bullets flying over head, running from burning buildings and diffusing bombs with seconds left. Compared to all of that putting her heart on the line should seem like a piece of cake.

_Yeah and Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny vacation in the Bahamas together, _she grimaced.

Hair pulled up in a bun; figuring she could take a shower to wash it; and clothes in a heap on the floor she gently lowered herself into the bubbles. Taking a deep breath she realized the scent of that as well as the candles she'd just realized were lit was sandalwood; her favorite. Racking her brain she tried to remember whether or not she'd told Bond about that particular fact. Chat on the plane on their way to Colorado coming to mind she pushed it aside.

Other more pressing matters awaited. Such as what the hell was she going to do about the double oh's new found admission. What the hell did you say to something like that? Especially when it came to a man who up until that moment in time she thought was nothing more then a lifeless shell; the thought of ever caring about some again after what he'd been through a foreign notion.

Topping that all off was the current whirlwind they found themselves in. Once word reached whoever had ordered that hit at the mountain on her there'd be more coming. And this time they might not be so lucky as to make it out alive. People like that didn't give up easy. They played to win and winning meant whoever they were after ended up six feet under. Whether it be slow and painful or quick was all dependent on who the assassin was.

Apparently whoever wanted her buried had no qualms about getting it done the quick and efficient way. Which brought her to her other problem about why he looked so familiar even from that far away. Yet even now as she started to feel normal once again she couldn't seem to place his face. In fact none of the men who'd attacked them had looked remotely familiar.

Maybe that's why it bugged her so much. All the times she'd envisioned something like this happening she always thought she'd know who had it in for her. Know who wanted her head on a silver platter.

Considering that didn't scare her nearly as bad as what the handsome double oh could do to her heart Alleria knew she was in deep shit either way you looked at it.

**A/N: Will the young Romanian give in or keep pushing the handsome double oh away? **

**Maybe we'll find out……**


	9. Chapter 9

**Finally one chapter after another…At least I'm sure that's what you're all thinking. I know it's taken me a while but both of my muse' have left me high and dry as of late. Plus there was little fact that I was the maid of honor in a wedding…Lots to do even it you're not the bride!**

**Again thanks to those who have read and reviewed. Keep them coming!**

**I own nothing dealing with Casino Royale or Quantom of Solace.**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter Nine**

"It's amazing how much better a bath and some new clothes can make you feel."

Setting the plate of fruit down he'd decided it would be good for her to try James turned to the sound of her voice and instantly had to agree.

Despite the fact that her usual rosy glow still wasn't present on her cheeks her over all complexion was closer to it's normal color then when she'd first woken up. Hair half way dry it was back to it's normal volume and luster; making the silver of it shine in the light as it swayed around her shoulders. Bodies soreness evident as she slowly moved about the room he was glad he'd chosen the living area for her to eat. Having cracked a couple of ribs during their tumble she; or rather they; had been given doctors orders to make sure they were taped. Once they fused back together her outer skin would still hurt like hell. As would the rest of her. While her body had put it self into a coma in order to keep her alive under all the snow it would take more then that for all the bumps and bruises to heal. Until that point she'd just have to take an easy. Something not in line with her personality. He had a feeling they were going to be fighting a lot over in the next few days.

One thing he hoped wouldn't be a part of that was what ever was going on between them. Rocky start aside their moment in the bathroom had flipped a switch that he knew despite all her protests that neither one of them wanted to turn off. Being here with her like this; ring on his finger even if the marriage was fake on paper as well as in real life; brought an odd sense of calm. Like this was how things were meant to be. Misgivings and excuses coming from her like it was raining frogs he could see she felt it too. Given what she'd been through previously; a discussion they still had yet to have; not to mention the present unknown danger lurking around every corner it seemed she was reluctant to just go with what she was feeling. To see how things played out. Yet she was willing to risk her own ass against gun wielding assassins and men with RPG's to save his life.

Then again playing with ones life always came easier then playing with their heart.

"For a while I thought you'd fallen asleep in there." James joked.

"My body may feel like it should but my mind is running a mile a minute." Alleria confessed.

"Well you just woke up from a coma." James sat down next to her. "It's a lot to process."

Wrapping the blanket he handed her around her shoulders Alleria couldn't believe she was still cold despite her layers of clothing. Fashion hadn't been in high priority when she'd grabbed her plain t-shirt, black cargo pants, and hooded sweatshirt. In door type soccer shoes next to her on the floor made it easy for her to leave in a hurry if the case called for it.

"No, that I can handle." She shook her head. "There's something else bugging me more."

Giving her the small couch to stretch out on he placed a couple of more logs on the fire before going to sit down at the end near her feet. "What's that?"

"The man in the helicopter; the one with the rocket launcher." Alleria cupped her hands around the mug of tea he'd given her. "He looked so familiar but I can't seem to place his face."

"Not to question your skills but are you sure?" James cautioned.

"I wouldn't blame you if you were. Hell I am myself." Alleria took a sip. "But it's like I've seen his face before. He was just so far away that I can't tell for sure."

"What about the men that attacked us when we were going down the slopes?" Bond questioned.

Cup securely placed on the table she sat back; trying to think past the massage he was giving to her feet and calves beneath her clothing. Normally her feet were one hundred percent off limits because they were so sensitive. However it seemed the young double oh had the magic touch.

"It's hard to say. Some of them looked German; others Irish." Alleria sighed. "I've pissed a lot of people off over the years it wouldn't be surprising if they decided to work together to get my head on a silver platter."

"That's definitely one alliance I would not want to be a part of." Bond grimaced. "From what I gathered from the information M left they were a nasty bunch."

"Terrorist usually are." Alleria gestured to the file in question. "Did reading it help any?"

"More like skimming it." Bond informed. "There's still quite a bit I haven't gotten to yet but from what I did I'd say that your conclusion about them being of the two countries you previously stated would be correct."

"Why now though?" Alleria wondered out loud. "I've been out of the business for four years. Kept a low profile."

"You know as well as I do that you're never fully out of the business." Bond gently reminded.

"True." Alleria decided to eat some of the fruit he'd put out for her; knowing she needed to get something in her empty stomach. "But I haven't been making waves with anyone. Just moving on with my life and trying to make a fresh start. I didn't know that was cause for someone to want to kill you."

Not for the first time both since she'd woken up and before her accident he had seen that defeated look on her beautiful face. Unable to figure out what was going on; who was behind all this was eating away at her more then the issue of their "marriage". It was as if the reason why all this was going on was at the edges of her brain. Right there were she couldn't quite reach it but knew it would help break things wide open.

"Something tells me we'll never understand why criminals act the way they do." James soothed.

"Well what the hell good are you then?" Alleria grinned.

"Apparently not enough to keep you from harm." Bond grimaced.

Sitting up; albeit slowly; she scooted down the couch until she was practically on his lap. Gently moving a piece of hair that had fallen across his forehead; smiling as well as she could given the fact that she felt dog tired still. Since she'd woken up he'd been nothing but nice to her. Bringing her blankets; watching over her as she'd gotten things together for her bath he'd shown how bad he felt about what had happened to her. His admission in the bathroom a little while ago telling her more then she'd been able to figure out on her own.

"You did everything you could." Alleria assured. "We were out numbered and out gunned big time but you still managed to kick some major ass."

"But you still ended up getting hurt." Bond whispered. "I've never been so scared in my life."

Tears welling up in his blue green eyes was what did her in. He was genuinely upset about the whole situation. About the fact that he hadn't been able to save her from being injured. Bad start and short time they'd known each other aside she cared about him. Knew that he cared about her; even without him having to say anything. And as scared as she was to admit that to herself let alone the man now staring at her with his head cocked in curiosity her near death experience had changed her perspective on life.

"You weren't the only one." Alleria confessed. "But what helped me keep my cool; to know that I was going to make it out alive was the fact that I had you watching my back. As much as I don't want to encourage your ego your good at your job. Otherwise M wouldn't have given you this assignment."

"You know you've become more then an assignment to me." Bond whispered.

"Which is why I trust you completely with my life." Alleria gently kissed his cheek.

"But not your heart?" Bond wondered.

Ladies and gentlemen that was the million dollar question. Trusting someone with your physical being didn't mean you would give over everything of yourself to them. Caring about another wasn't necessarily hand in hand with basically taking your heart out of your chest and handing it to that significant other. Would she be willing to throw away everything she'd worked hard to get. All the walls she'd built up to have the chance at happiness with a man who was as rough around the edges as herself?

"It might take me a little longer then you'd like…." Alleria spoke. "But yes; with my heart."

Not wanting to hurt her but needing to feel her lips on his James gently pulled her forward; settling her on his lap before planting a gentle kiss on her. When she responded back he took the chance to deepen the embrace; wrapping his arms around her waist as he probed her mouth to open. Surprising ease he lifted her off his lap to lay her down on the couch; discarding the blanket on the floor.

Being careful to support his weight on his forearms so as not to crush her he fought the primal urge to rip her clothes off; taking her right then and there. Rough sex was not something she needed right now but the things her kiss was doing to his brain was starting to short circuit his thinking process.

Unable to get enough of him Alleria ignored the warning signs going off in her brain; the ones screaming at the top of their lungs for her to back away before she did something she'd regret. As she allowed her hands to roam underneath his sweater to the hard planes of male body there was a part of her that knew if things went past any serious making out she'd be hard pressed to be upset with herself.

Time and time again she'd backed away from a situation when it involved any emotions running too deep for fear that it would be another Kane incident all over again. The same had been true where the man currently driving her crazy with his hands and tongue was concerned. Meeting him for the first time; hearing his arrogance; his huge helping of self awareness had flash backs of when she'd first met the man she thought she would marry running across her vision.

In looks they were completely different; personality the same. Or so she'd thought until they'd gotten to know each other a little better past the bickering they seemed to enjoy. While both we're good at their jobs and knew it Bonds was more of a this was the kind of attitude that had gotten me noticed by MI6 type. Her ex-fiancée had been arrogant past the point of that towards thinking that he knew all. That he was better then she was and deserved to have the world at his fingertips. Even if it meant betraying the woman he claimed to love more then life itself. Something she unfortunately hadn't found out till it was too late.

Bond hid the pain he still had to be feeling from Vesper's similar escapades on his heart behind the bad boy swagger and brass balls bravado. Oh there was no doubt in her mind that he was capable of great harm when the occasion called for it. But the person he'd become since their encounter. The one who'd been treating her as if she was going to break at any moment was more like the actual man then the persona he showed to the outside world.

Having successfully discarded her sweatshirt on the floor along with his sweater in the process the young double oh continued the through assault on her lips; kissing them until they were swollen and red. Tongue dancing with hers in the way he hoped their bodies would be soon' or at least the lower half of his extremities wished that particular situation.

Never had a woman made him this mindless with the touch of her hand. The feel of her mouth twining with his in an exotic tango. As if even if they were skin to skin it would never be enough. What he felt for her; the sudden protectiveness and urge to take her completely was so new and unknown to him that he was unable to even put a name to it.

Under different circumstances that would bother him to no end. Make him jump off her as if she was on fire and run screaming; figuratively; in the other direction. Bodyguard job be damned. In the end though he knew it wouldn't happen. During their time together she'd but a solid lock on his heart and was never going to let up.

Denying it as much as she had from the start he knew she felt the same unexplainable pull that he did. However he'd bet all the money he had that she was pushing it to the farthest regions of her mind for the same reason he was trying to protect his self. She'd been hurt horribly in the past because she'd allowed her heart to take over rather then her brain. Landing the former of the two organs in millions of pieces that still weren't put back together completely.

Rational part of his brain still working despite the fact that it felt like her hands were leaving trails of fire in their wake James wanted to know why that was. Wanted to know who could be so cruel and heartless as to hurt a woman who was as rare as the Hope Diamond itself. Following in it's path was anger. Urge so strong he had to stop his hands from involuntarily clenching on her body; knowing she was still extremely sore from their tumble down the hill. If he ever met the man he'd be hard pressed to let him leave the same way he'd came.

Shirt long gone and hands getting ready to make quick work of the pants she was wearing while his teeth made slow work of her earlobe. A spot he found out rather easily made her into a mindless puddle in his arms. Mean having disappeared; body fully focused on what was to come he couldn't help but put more pressure then he should have on her hip when her hand found it's way into his now unbuttoned pants. Immediately however he let go when she let out what was no doubt an involuntary hiss of pain.

"Are you okay?" James whispered.

Breathless just as he was Alleria took a moment to compose herself before speaking. Part of her was relieved that they'd stopped where they had; and the part that wasn't was screaming out every word in the book that she'd hadn't kept the sound to herself. Because just as he'd been acting ever since she woke up the young Romanian knew he would be hard pressed to continue for fear of hurting her even more.

"Yeah." She finally spoke. "Guess I'm a little more worse for the wear then I thought."

Sitting back he helped her slowly get up until she was leaning back against the couch; trying hard not to let the pain show as she did so. Even now with her hair all messed up; half dressed and face contoured in pain she still tugged at his heart strings like nothing else. To think that someone would want to hurt someone so beautiful both inside and out made him see red all over again. Couple of deep breaths later he had it back under control to be able to see the strange look in the young woman's face.

"What?" Bond wondered.

"You just looked like someone kicked you in the balls and now you're going to tear them limb from limb." Alleria pointed out.

"Hmm, didn't know I had such a look." Bond grinned.

"It's actually pretty close to the one you get when you're just plain pissed off." Alleria clarified. "What gives?"

"Just getting to much inside my own head I guess." James handed her back her t-shirt.

Thanking him she put it on; knowing what that could be like. Most times though she stumbled upon that particular situation when she was all alone on a steak out. Or was made to take time off, given nothing but her own thoughts to ponder all day and night. In their line of work it could be an extremely dark place; filled with the faces of those you'd had to kill. Of the lives you'd taken and the aftermath it could potentially bring down on you or the people you worked for.

Many times she'd seen it destroy those that had been the best of the best in their field. Part of an elite group that was called upon to take care of any, and she meant **any, **situation that came knocking at the door of their certain government. Membership to that group still fully intact after being out of the business for the better part of five years she'd been lucky enough to dodge that bullet so far.

Eyes roaming to the file that lay open to the page the young double oh had been on before she'd come down the stairs a sudden wave of urgency swept over her as her eyes skimmed the typed and written words. Quickly; albeit painfully; she pulled her hoodie back on; buttoning up her pants with one hand as she picked up the thick folder with the other.

Seeing the names and dates her brain started to work a mile a minute to sort it all out. Again the images of the men flashed across her vision. The feeling that they had been so familiar but she couldn't figure out from where. How the one with the rocket launcher resting on his shoulder had secretly given her the chills.

"It's not possible." Alleria whispered.

"Actually it's more common then you think." James was a little confused as to what they were talking about.

Having forgotten that he was even in the room as the information that she knew couldn't possibly be anymore then her subconscious trying to find an explanation about what had happened to her started to become more of a reality she momentarily turned her attention to him; apologetic look on her face.

"Not that." Alleria informed. "Sorry my eyes caught the page you were on in my file and things started falling into place. Or at least I think they have."

"What do you mean you think they have?" James questioned.

"Because what I'm thinking of couldn't be possible." Alleria confessed. "I need to call M."

"Alleria wait a second.." James followed her upstairs; gently grabbing her arm as she reached for her cell phone. "You need to slow down and tell me what's going on because you're not making any sense."

Telling him her theory now when she didn't have any solid proof that it was even possible could be a leap in the wrong direction. One they couldn't afford right now. But keeping it to herself when there was the tiniest chance it could give them the break they needed wasn't a good choice either. To be able to put an end to the horrible nightmare she'd been dealing with for the last couple of weeks.

"I think I might know who's been after me. Who tried to kill us on that mountain." Alleria explained.

"That's great…" James started.

"No it's not." Alleria cut him off.

"Why?" James raised a brow.

"Because if it's the same man I'm thinking of there's no way he could be alive." Alleria answered.

"What makes you say that?" James had the strange feeling he knew what she was going to say.

File on the bed; phone all but forgotten as she turned to him he saw the stone coldness of her gaze and knew he'd been right. Her answer all but confirming it.

"Because I killed him."


	10. Chapter 10

Just some notes I wanted to put in for all those who have been following the story.

I am undecided on whether or not to proceed. I'm thankful for all those who have read, reviewed, or both. Unfortunately I'm not getting the feedback I had hoped and I have to say that it's making my confidence wane as far as continuing is concerned.

I love writing these; giving myself as well as those who read them a chance to escape reality if only for a moment.

If there are those that wish for me to continue please give me your feedback on the matter. For anyone who already has thank you so much.

Thank you for the support I have received so far and hopefully many continued happy writings to all.


	11. Chapter 11

**And ladies and gentleman another chapter has arrived. **

**To all those who gave an answering call about the author's note I left on whether or not to continue I appreciate your support. **

**Before leaving you to enjoy this next chapter there are a couple more things I'd like to say….**

**I tried to get the information in my story as accurate as possible. If there are any indiscretions or inaccuracies I apologize ahead of time. **

**And to give a shout out to those who keep me humble by reminding me that people do have lives that keep them extremely busy. That makes it difficult to have the time to review.**

**That said I want to make sure that anyone who has read, reviewed, added me to their favorite list for this story as well as my other, etc. is given the praise for taking time to do any of those. **

**Keep it up and any suggestions that you think could make the story better don't hesitate to let me know. **

**Oh; and if anyone see's my muse out and about please tell them to come back home. It tends to run away when I need it the most. Kinda looks like the green fairy from Eurotrip for those who are familiar with the movie. **

**I own nothing dealing with Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace.**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 10**

Thinking that he might have heard her wrong James didn't answer for several moments. Or it could be the fact that his body believed there was a bad connection between his ears and brain. Because he was pretty sure the young woman had said she'd killed the man she thought she saw in the chopper.

"Not possible." James finally blurted without thinking.

"What?" Alleria was confused.

Shaking his head to clear it James took a moment to collect his thoughts before speaking again. "Either there's more damage to your brain then we thought or you didn't do your job very well."

"Are you seriously insulting me right now?" Alleria couldn't believe it.

"Not on purpose." James breathed. "What I should've said was are you sure?"

Knowing that she'd thrown him for a loop; hell she'd thrown herself for one; the young Romanian let the statement slide. Her sudden epiphany could be completely wrong. But something told her it was dead right. Flipping to the specific page; knowing those bastard handlers had kept a record of everyone she'd ever looked at Alleria handed it over to the fumbling double oh.

"His facial features have changed slightly but the eyes are the same." She informed.

"You know it's him by the eyes?" Bond was skeptical.

Picturesque mountains stretching out before the bay windows she remembered the feel of fear that had washed over her before the snow had closed in. Much like how she'd been the last time she'd seen the man now under suspicion.

"One thing I've learned is that someone can have all the plastic surgery in the world but the eyes always stay the same." Alleria whispered.

"There's contacts for that." James gently pointed out.

"I'm not talking about the color." Alleria turned to face him again. "But the emotion that's hidden underneath."

"Like how you can tell whether or not someone's going to be crazy enough to try and shot their way out of a bad situation rather then surrender?" James offered.

"Exactly." Alleria knew if he put in the prospective of a fighting scenario he'd get the picture more clearly. "The man I killed; the man I swear was in that helicopter could never hide how much he wanted me dead and buried. At least near the end anyway."

Closing the thick folder he walked over to where she stood; still staring at the mountains as if reliving what had happened in vivid detail. Knowing there was nothing he could do to take that fear away; stopping her from remembering he wished he could. Instead he wrapped his arms around her waist; pulling her back against him as they took a moment.

Him to wonder if he was ready for what she was about to tell him and her to ponder how much to give away.

"Sweetheart you don't have to tell me if you don't want to; but I think it'd be easier." Bond finally spoke.

And there was her out. Her free ticket to be able to not have to tell him one of the biggest and most painful secrets of her past. One that no matter how many other people she killed; no matter how many lives she'd had to take or heartbreak she'd suffered would haunt her at night in her dreams.

Most people didn't ask about it; fewer then that even knew. And those that did kept their mouths shut and rarely brought the subject up. Realizing that she would threaten serious bodily harm if his name was so much as mentioned. Even her aunt didn't speak of it.

In the end she came to the conclusion that it probably would've been better if she'd let it all spill out. If not to the CIA shrinks then to a friend she could trust; or even better M herself. While she knew none of what had happened was her fault. That emotions played a bigger role then anyone could fathom.

"His name is Kane O'Rourke." She broke the silence. "Worked for Ireland's version of the CIA before breaking off to join the IRA."

"I take it you worked with him before." Bond surmised. "Something tells me you guys were more then just friends though."

Turning in his arms she gave a ruthful smile laced with pain and a bit of humor. Like what she was about to tell him had somehow turned into a joke since taking place how many ever years ago. Knowing he wasn't going to find anything remotely funny about the story she was about to tell he lead her to the couch; wanting to be sitting down when she no doubt shocked the hell out of him.

"We met a little over five years ago." Alleria started. "We were working together with the Irish Secret Police to bring down an arms dealer who'd been bouncing from one continent to another. After going through a ton of man hours and computer trails we found that most of his business had been based in the US and Ireland. So instead of trying to do it alone we secured a joint task force between the two agencies. Kane and I were put in charge."

"Which meant you had to work closely together for long hours." James supplied. "It was natural that an attraction would occur."

"How could it not?" Alleria chuckled lightly; picking imaginary lint off the pillow now in her lap. "Kane seemed like the perfect man. Drop dead gorgeous, funny, seemed loyal to a fault to those he cared about. And most of all he wasn't threatened by a woman that could kick his ass if he pissed her off enough. No man I've ever met has acted like that with me."

"Hey…" Bond pretended to be hurt.

"Besides you." Alleria gave him a playful shove before continuing. "I could talk to him about anything; tell him all my worries and fears without feeling ashamed. One thing led to another and the longer we were together the more the feelings grew. Eventually we ended up becoming a couple. But we had to keep things quite because the CIA frowns upon agents getting involved with one another."

"How far did this relationship go exactly?" Bond wondered.

"We ended up getting married once the case was closed." Alleria informed. "After about five months things started turning strange. He started keeping things from me; having mood swings. We had a joint office in our home; with secure computers and landlines to be used for work. Most times we were both in there at the same time. But he started locking me out; even knowing I could pick the lock with ease. When I finally confronted him about it he blew up; told me that it was none of my business and if I wasn't a woman he'd lay me out flat for getting in his face."

"That didn't make you leave him then and there?" Bond wasn't being judgmental; just curious.

"Love can be a strange and powerful thing." Alleria gave a bemused grin. "I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. After all our jobs are extremely stressful; sometimes so bad that we just _**don't**_ want to talk about it. I trusted that when the time was right he would tell me what was happening."

"But you still did some digging." Bond realized.

"You're getting to know me so well." Alleria gently squeezed his hand. "Nothing too deep. Checking if there'd been any uptake in chatter about anything going on between Ireland and America. That sort of thing. There wasn't so I just let it go."

"When did you realize something more serious was going on?" James wondered.

With that sentence came the familiar hurt. Familiar anger and pain that accompanied the memories of that day four years ago when her life had fallen apart. When she felt she could no longer trust her instincts. Thought she would never be able to trust another man with her heart or life.

But as she sat there formulating just how to tell this next piece the young Romanian found it was a lot easier to bear then she'd expected. Granted over the years it had lessened if not all together gone away there was still that inkling. Still had part of her heart that had to be epoxies back together.

Now it was as if the cracks had evaporated over night. Like her short time with the double oh had made her remember what it was like to be relaxed. To be yourself without having to worry that there was going to be a bullet with your name on it.

Sensing she was going to need some warm human contact when she revealed this next piece. Need a pair of strong arms holding her that she knew would keep her safe James gently pulled her into his lap. Planting a kiss on the top of her head as she took a deep breath before continuing.

"I had just come back home from an assignment in Iraq." Alleria started. "Kane was also away on business and wasn't expecting me back for another couple of days. Not calling him had been my intention from the beginning. Thought maybe if I caught him off guard he'd have no choice but to tell me what was going on. Why he'd been so secretive and unwilling to talk."

"Weren't you worried he'd make good on his threat from before?" James questioned.

"Yes; but I knew I could handle him." Alleria confessed. "As much as he liked to think so he wasn't completely invincible."

"You could've kicked his ass any day of the week anyway." James waved it off.

Smiling at his vote of confidence she continued. "When I came home there were several cars in the driveway. We lived on a small bay; partially due to my love of water and the other reason as a quick get away should the need arise. There was a boat docked that I didn't recognize. Both vehicles were giant SUV's. A Chevy Suburban and Ford Excursion capable of carrying massive loads. Armor plated with bullet proof glass. Once that sank in I knew there was something wrong."

"Please don't tell me you went in with guns blazing trying to get him to fess up?" James winced.

"No; but I didn't have to." Alleria assured. "I hadn't tried to cover the fact that I was home because to my knowledge there was nothing to be scared of in my own house. Before I had the chance to get away he came outside along with two men I've never met. Not bothering to feign any kind of innocence at being caught red handed."

As if in her own little world she flashed back to the day all those years ago when for the first time in her life she'd truly thought she would die….

"_**Alleria, honey, you weren't suppose to be home for another two days."**_

_**The syrupy sweet sound to his Irish lilted voice didn't hide the fact that she knew he was pissed off. Knew that he was caught doing something he defiantly wasn't suppose to be doing. And that she was in a position to blow the whistle should she gather enough information.**_

_**From the look on his face he wasn't about to allow that to happen. **_

_**Gun still in it's holster she cursed herself for not seeing this coming. For not knowing that something more serious was going on. Something that could get her killed because she hadn't bothered to dig deeper.**_

_**Glad she was dressed for action should it call for it the young operative stepped forward; registering the two men standing guard if you will; next to him on the wide front porch.**_

_**To the right was the bigger of the two. Six five, two hundred and forty pounds he was built like a boulder. Arms about as big around as her head he was dressed in a dark blue business suit just a little too small for his big body. Shoulder holster visible as he stood with his hands on his hips; trying to stare her down. Brown hair graying at the temples he had to be in his late forties early fifties. Round eyes with green orbs his face was tan and weathered from too much time in the sun. **_

_**Left of him was what she could describe as the young version of the man she'd just assessed. Hair fuller then his counterpart it was more of a black then brown; eyes not quite as hard looking as the older mans. Jeans, boots, and flannel shirt on he looked like he was trying to blend in at a George Straight concert. **_

_**Not one to be easily scared or on edge the looks they were giving her sent chills down her spine. As if her being here ruined everything they had planned. It was in that moment as she stepped onto the porch; resisting the urge to punch her so called husband in the face as he hugged her; that it was possible she was going to lose her life tonight.**_

"_**The contract didn't take as long as I expected." Alleria tried to keep her voice calm.**_

"_**Why didn't you call?" Kane questioned.**_

_**Ignoring the malice in his voice she stepped back from his embrace; breaking the extra tight hold with ease. Moving her body slightly she was satisfied to find her gun and knife were still were they'd been. One thing Kane was good at was what American's called the slight of hand. Could take your weapon from you before you knew which way was up.**_

_**Making her body as relaxed as possible while her brain worked a mile a minute to try to find a way out of this she followed Kane into the house. Unable to protest when his goons were right up on her ass. One good thing about him staging whatever meeting he was having here was apart from him she knew the lay out of the house better then anyone. And where all her guns were hidden. **_

_**Stopping at the entrance to their formal living room she was met by something that made her heart stop.**_

_**Sitting on their coffee table were two bullet proof suitcases. Nestled warm and snug in the foam beds were two nuclear tipped war heads. About the size of a basketball they were shaped like the three d tip of a spear. Next to that on the floor were two huge crates; no doubt the missiles said war heads would go on before being fitted to a stealth fighter. **_

_**Focusing her attention on the black writing on the front of the case she felt her stomach rise in her throat when she saw property of United States government right there for the whole world to see.**_

_**Flashing back briefly to a time not to long ago she had brought home two cases exactly like that from Iran after the CIA had confirmed that a high ranking Al Qaeda operative had stolen them from an American nuclear facility in Germany. Was planning on taking them to Iraq via a round about path so the terrorist group could pull off one of the biggest attacks on US soil since nine eleven.**_

_**Abruptly halting their conversation were two men he was no doubt selling the stolen weapons to. Gazes burning with hatred as they turned to her; scowls on their faces demanding that their host tell them why the hell they'd been interrupted.**_

_**Trying to blend in with the American culture such as it was they were dressed in business suits just as the older man she'd seen upon first entering was. Staying true to Allah they kept their breads but had them neatly trimmed. Heavy gold rings adorned their fingers. **_

_**Never one to keep her mouth shut when the occasion called for it she was even worse now. The man she thought she knew; the man she thought she loved was a traitor to her as well as her country and his own. And was conducting the business in the home they were suppose to be starting a life with no less. **_

"_**Kane what the hell is going on?" Alleria demanded.**_

"_**Well I was in the process of concluding a business deal but you came home a little earlier then expected so…" He trailed off.**_

"_**You mean your selling stolen weapons to men who want to bomb the hell out of my country." Alleria fumed. "Your country."**_

"_**America was never my country; never my home." Kane barked back. **_

"_**What about Ireland?" Alleria questioned. "It is your home and our ally. If you sell to these people we'll go to war and they'll definitely end up involved."**_

_**Obviously tired of hearing her talk the older of the two Arab men stepped forward; pulling a gun from his belt to aim at her head. Use to this kind of thing she didn't so much as flinch. If need be she could pull hers out; seems how the two men who'd been watching over Kane had forgotten to take it from her. But the last thing she wanted was a gun battle. It could alert the neighbors and cause more casualties then necessary. **_

"_**This is getting old." He spoke; voice thick with an accent. "Let's just kill her and be done with it."**_

"_**I wouldn't do that if I was you." Kane warned.**_

_**How he could joke when in the end he was planning on doing just that to her Alleria had no idea. She was so full of hatred and pain right now she couldn't see straight. But for the sake of her life and the justice of the American people she had to stay calm. The time to break down would come later. **_

"_**You are not seriously afraid of your wife are you?" The man laughed. "She is a woman; what harm can she pose to me?"**_

_**Cursing all that was holy not to mention the man currently standing with a smirk on his face Alleria lashed out with her left hand; effectively pushing the mans arm away. At the same time she landed the heel of her hand on his adam's apple; coming close to crushing his wind pipe. **_

_**While the man was grasping his throat; thinking he was going to die from lack of oxygen she had her gun out; hot as always; and aimed at his skull before anyone had the chance to blink. For an extra precaution she lashed out with a foot to essentially knee cap him. **_

"_**I think it would be safe to change that to ex-wife." Alleria snarled. "Now I realize that me shooting him won't mean a damn thing to any of you but either you get out of my house now or you'll end up just like him."**_

_**Hearing the predictable sound of hammers being pulled back on four different guns she could give a rats ass about three of them. The only one that made any mind to her was the Glock 9mm the man she thought loved her had leveled at her temple. **_

_**How could she have not seen this coming? Lived under the same roof with him for over a year without knowing he was headed down this path. Inside she felt her whole world crumbling down around her. Outside she exuded calm even though she was the complete opposite. **_

_**It wasn't that she'd never faced these odds before; it was that she was usually better prepared. Part of her job however was thinking on her feet. Finding any way possible to get out of a sticky situation with little to no collateral damage. **_

_**Noticing they were all carrying no more then 9mm Berettas or Glocks she guessed that they were fully loaded with one in the chamber which meant a total of thirteen rounds per gun. Once she'd gotten hers back she'd done the same thing. Depending on how good of shots they were she could get out of it with extra bullets left in the clip. **_

"_**It's four against one sweetheart." Kane spoke. "Now you're good; I'll give you that. But you can't kill us all before were able to get off a shot."**_

_**Smirk the only thing she gave him in response she pushed the man on his knees forward; shooting the man just behind and to the left of Kane before he had a chance to blink. In quick succession she aimed for the lamp; bulb shattering into pieces as the living room went dark. **_

_**Crouching down she gave her eyes a moment she adjust to the darkness; hearing Kane and the one man still left curse up a storm as they tried to figure out where she'd gone. **_

_**Having dove behind one of the crates; knowing they wouldn't want to damage their precious cargo she brought up the mental lay out of the house in her head. Straight out the living room across the hall was a smaller great room. Down the hall to the left was the kitchen; attached to that was the formal dining room. Out back was a closed in deck that led to a small back yard and the bay just below. **_

"_**Alleria I know you're here some where." Kane spoke through the silence that had settled. "Why don't you just come out and we can settle this."**_

_**Knowing that speaking would give away her position; not relying on how much he wanted this pay day; the young Romanian woman gauged that he had made his way outside into the hallway. Using the doorway as cover; waiting for the moment she stood up. **_

_**Needing to move she crawled on her hands and knees; thankful that the crates were flush against each other she saw their arm chair right in front of her. Quietly as possible she dove for the piece of furniture only to be stopped by a solid mass. **_

_**Picked up off her feet by the older of the two guys that had met her outside she had the odd thought that he was a lot stronger then he looked. Hands instantly coming up to stop the beefy one now strangling the life out of her she let her gun fall to the floor; only thing on her mind how to get the hell out of the mess she'd gotten into.**_

_**Leg coming up she used the heel of her boot to kick him in the groin. Either the man had balls of steel or none at all because it took twice before he loosened his grip enough for her oxygen deprived brain to think straight. Bringing her hands up she broke the solid barrier his arms were making; falling in a heap of arms and legs on the hardwood floor.**_

_**Choking for air she reached for her gun; seeing it less than a foot away; only to be stopped by a huge booted foot crashing down on her hand. Muffling the scream that jumped into her throat she pulled the limb into her body as she turned to try with the other one. This time she moved it before he was able to do any harm; unfortunately still with out her gun. **_

_**About to reach for her knife she stopped when the barrel of Kane's gun was pressed against her temple for the second time that night. Knowing he wouldn't think twice about pulling the trigger should she make a move for her weapon she brought her hand back out to flop at her side. **_

_**Closing her eyes for a moment she took a deep breath before turning to the man she no longer recognized. The man she'd miss judge so much for the last couple of years. Same one who was now looking at her like she was a nuisance that needed to be taken care of rather then the woman he'd married. Woman he'd sworn to love no matter what.**_

"_**Something tells me you're taking the whole till death do us part a little to seriously." Alleria tried to joke.**_

"_**How long have you known." Kane ignored her attempt at humor.**_

"_**I have no idea what you're talking about." Alleria gave him her most innocent look possible. **_

_**Having had enough of her bullshit after she'd already ruined something he'd been working on for months now he reached forward to pat her down for weapons before continuing. Unable to resist the urge to let his hands linger on her hips and side of her breasts. No matter whether or not he still loved her there was no doubt he'd always been sexually attracted to her. After all she was a gorgeous woman.**_

_**Tossing her knife onto the couch he made sure to not let his lust get the best of him. Just because she had two guns ready to blow her brains out didn't mean she wouldn't try to get away. Kane hadn't been kidding when he'd told the other man he shouldn't mess with her. She wasn't just called the best the CIA had; she **_was_** the best. **_

"_**Don't try to play coy dammit." Kane snarled. "You've been snooping around for months now. Don't tell me you haven't found anything. There had to be a reason you didn't call before coming home."**_

_**Damning herself to hell and back for breaking her routine without even realizing it Alleria tried to think of a reason why she wouldn't have called. Saying that it was to surprise him would never fly. He knew better then that. Not to mention for someone in their line of work he was more paranoid then normal. Seeing no way out of it; better that they get this done and over with she settled for the truth.**_

"_**The only thing I've found was that you were hiding something from me." Alleria snapped back. "Trying to figure out what was like pulling teeth. I came home early hoping to catch you red handed so you'd have to explain. Guess I succeeded on one part." **_

"_**Well you should be proud of yourself for that because you're not getting anymore." Kane grabbed her roughly by the arm.**_

_**Instincts over riding everything else she side stepped his reach; grabbing for the wrist that held his firearm. Twisting she heard the bones snap as his Beretta fell to the floor; following soon by her foot connecting with his stomach. **_

_**Doubled over she rammed her knee into his head for extra measure. That done she scrambled for her knife just as the other man she'd forgotten was in the room popped off two rounds. Feeling the sting of one as it grazed her shoulder she kept going. Had to find a way to get out of this alive.**_

_**Aiming as best she could without taking another bullet the young woman let the knife fly; hearing a thud as it hit the man square in the chest before a larger noise told her he was now lying dead on the floor. **_

_**Standing up fully she snatched her gun up just as Kane started to get to his feet. Aiming the weapon at his head she waited until he was staring her in the face before she cocked the hammer back. Hands shaking with barely suppressed anger she saw the hatred in his flint colored eyes. The knowing look as she let him stand to his full height; still unable to pull the trigger.**_

"_**Are you really that scared of me that you needed four other guys here?" Alleria decided to channel her anger in a different direction.**_

"_**How can I be afraid of someone who has me right where they want me and can't even pull the trigger?" Kane questioned.**_

"_**What makes you think I won't kill you right now without a second thought for betraying me?" Alleria hissed.**_

"_**Because you love me too much." Kane stood calmly. "And one thing you would never do it hurt those you love." **_

_**It was in that moment as he moved towards her; knife coming from no where; that she knew she was completely screwed. Seconds too late she deflected his hand; sting of the knife as it sliced into her flesh bringing her back to the harsh reality of her situation. **_

_**Elbow to the nose she brought the gun back up; ready to pull the trigger despite the emotions running rampant she was stopped when he brought his own elbow down in his extended forearm. Hearing it break she couldn't stop the howl of pain that escaped.**_

_**Arm now useless she fought back with her feet; bringing her right up in a side kick that sent him back a few feet. Scrambling out the door to the hallway closet where she had another gun stashed as well as a few other toys she ignored the beating of her heart combined with the pounding of her pursuers foot steps behind her. **_

_**Remembering the boat parked outside she knew if she was able to get to that then she'd be home free. She could to someplace safe and phone someone she trusted for help. Flinging the closet door open she grabbed the only bag inside before bolting for the sliding glass door and freedom. **_

_**Foot just about to touch the top step she felt the wind rush out of her as a solid mass wrapped it's arms around her. Losing her balance she tumbled down the stairs; bag still clutched in her good hand. There was no time to think once she made contact with the ground as Kane flipped her over to be able to see her face. **_

_**Manic look his eyes that she'd never seen before Alleria felt herself start to weep. Not because she was going to die; there was no way in gods green mother fucking earth she was going to let that happen. But for the man he'd once been; for the life they'd shared and all the dreams that had been shattered. **_

_**Pinning her shoulders to the ground he let his glee at her misery show through in they way he watched with interest as tears streamed down her dirt covered face. Bending down he placed a kiss on each of her cheeks; lingering over her lips. Not wanting to give him the satisfaction of seeing her shudder she held still despite the fit of rage going off inside her addled brain. **_

"_**They always say that people are most emotional right before they die." Kane whispered; breath hot against her flesh.**_

"_**I don't recall saying anything like that." Alleria spat.**_

"_**Well one of us has to and by the look of things it certainly won't be me." Kane surmised.**_

_**During his self righteous jaunt down memory lane she'd managed to worm her good hand into the satchel caught between their two bodies. Hand closing around her own Beretta she wanted to be standing when she killed the bastard. **_

_**Surging her body upward she used every ounce of strength she possessed to move his body enough to bring her knees up. That done she used the weight of his body plus the momentum of her push to throw him over her head. On her feet despite the pain coursing through her elbow she watched as he slowly got his bearings.**_

"_**Did you really think I would go without a fight?" Alleria questioned.**_

"_**No; but that's one of the things I loved about you." Kane grinned. "Your fiery passion. Both in and out of the bedroom."**_

_**Wanting to throw up from the revulsion those words brought Alleria told herself to be strong. The only reason he was saying things like that was to get a rise out of her. Knowing she still loved him despite all he'd done. Still thought that she wouldn't pull the trigger if his calm stride as he moved towards her was any indication.**_

"_**If you knew I was feisty why didn't you just shoot me and be done with it?" She was curious.**_

"_**Because I didn't think you'd be this much of a pain in the ass." Kane sighed as if talking about the weather. "Though there is a great amount of satisfaction in watching you struggle with wanting to pull the trigger. It's like the climax to my own personal game."**_

"_**Considering I'm already dead in your book can you at least tell me why?" Alleria always had the worst timing when it came to wanting information.**_

"_**Why I did this or why I want you dead?" Kane offered.**_

_**Heart tearing apart even more at his nonchalant attitude Alleria knew she should've just killed him and been done with it. But she had to know why; above all else; he'd betrayed her and a country he claimed to love all for a pay day.**_

"_**I know why you want me dead you idiot." Alleria fumed. "But is money really that important to you that you felt you had to do this? What happened to you Kane? Where's the man I married?"**_

_**At her pleading she saw a flicker of the person she used to know. The one who played with her in the rain and did nothing but be lazy on the Sundays they were actually home. Who promised to love her no matter what. Quicker then it had come it was gone and the malice was back in his cold gaze.**_

"_**He got sick of working for people who treated him like crap. Who paid him next to nothing and no recognition for all his hard work. All they're ever worried about is money so why shouldn't I be the same way?" Kane shrugged his shoulders.**_

"_**So you thought you'd take me along for the ride? Lie and hide things? Then just get rid of me when I eventually found out." Alleria tried to stop her voice from quivering but couldn't.**_

_**Without knowing it he'd gotten close enough to pull her next to him. Urge to fight slowly fading even though she knew it could mean her life. Emotions were something she'd learned to fight through over the years when it came to her job. **_

_**This wasn't her job for crying out loud. It was her life crashing down around her and she didn't know what to do. Every survival instinct was screaming at her to run; to pull the gun up and give him what he deserved. **_

"_**It doesn't have to be that way." Kane reminded. "You could come with me. This deal gives us more then enough money to run away. To disappear forever."**_

"_**People in our line of work don't just disappear without people asking questions." Alleria informed. "Plus I can't believe you think I'd go any where with you after what you did."**_

_**Sighing he shifted his weight; hanging his head as if truly upset about her decision. Hackles raised she didn't realize what was happening before it was too late.**_

"_**Then I'm sorry it has to end this way…" Kane whispered.**_

_**Steel hot against her cold flesh as he stabbed it in to the hilt Alleria felt her eyes widen; felt her mouth open in a silent gasp of shock. Legs going limp the only thing holding her up was his embrace as he looked at her with a kind of reverence.**_

"_**Kane…please…." She rasped. **_

"_**I'm sorry my love.." He trailed off. **_

"_**Don't…do…this." Alleria pleaded. **_

"_**I never wanted this." Kane informed. "I truly did love you at one point."**_

_**Dropping her to a heap on the ground he headed back into the house to asses the damaged she'd caused and how long it would take him to clean up the mess before getting the cargo out and destroying all the evidence. **_

_**What seemed like an eternity later as she lay in a slowly growing pool of her own blood but had only been half an hour foot falls came down the porch to stop in front of her. All along she'd known she had to kill him. That hesitating to pull the trigger could result in right where she was right now felt almost surreal. **_

_**But as she'd watched his eyes void of emotion as he stabbed her; letting her blood flow over his hand before releasing her to fall in a ball of bruises and bones she knew it had to be done. That though the hurt may never fade letting him have the satisfaction of watching her die was not an option.**_

_**Hand he couldn't see clutching her gun; cocking the hammer and praying the sound didn't reverberate through the small clearing she waited for him to lean down to pick her up; chest right where she wanted it to be. **_

_**Sob escaping her lips his eyes met hers for a brief moment in a look of confusion before two gun shots rang through the still night air. One right after another point blank in the chest. Rolling out of his grasp before his body could land on top of hers she watched with a mix of relief and despair as he collapsed; hands clutched to his chest.**_

_**Awkwardly getting to her feet she stumbled as a sudden wave of dizziness washed over her. From loss of blood and the reality that she'd just shot and killed someone she had loved more then anything made her legs nearly give out. **_

_**Inching back as he tried to crawl towards her; calling her name she felt like a dam broke. Everything she'd been feeling since walking into the house. The realization that a life she'd thought so perfect gone in an instant. Of how she could be so blind; so stupid to not see what was right in front of her face this entire time.**_

"_**Damn you to hell and back because I **_still _**love you." Alleria whispered.**_

_**Protocol overriding anything else she stumbled with weapon still in hand back towards the house needing to see how much damage had actually been done. How much she was going to have to report to M and various other people who were going to want to know what the fuck had gone wrong. **_

_**Hand on the railing her last thought before she was thrown back down to the ground; blackness invading her space; was how it had come to this. How she'd allowed her love for this man to over ride all the training; all the instincts she'd been born with. That she'd gathered over the years. **_

_**Place she'd called home; where she'd envisioned kids playing in the back yard. Family barbeques and picnics. Black haired little girl with her father's silver eyes; pigtails swinging around her head as she chased her tow headed brother. All of it erased as the heat from the explosion enveloped their log wood home like it was nothing.**_

_**Cries of anguish heard over the crackling of the flames she saw the gun in her hand; knew she had a couple more bullets left in it. Gun aimed at her temple; hammer cocked and ready to end all her pain.**_


	12. Chapter 12

**Finally another chapter has come to life! Thank you to all those who have been patiently waiting for me to update. Life isn't always kind to those of us who have the urge to get our ideas on paper…so to speak.**

**Reviews and comments are always welcome. Thank you to all those who have read, reviewed, or both.**

**I own nothing dealing with Casino Royale or Quantum of Solace yada, yada, yada**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter Eleven**

Unable to comprehend what she'd just told him; to fathom what she had actually considered doing James had to get up and move. Crossing over to the fireplace he watched as the flames danced. Hearing the crackle as the wood started to split. Tried to imagine what it must have been like for Alleria to hear that as her house; the place she'd planned on raising a family in; burned to the ground.

How it must have felt for the man she'd thought was her soul mate. Was someone she could trust with her life and much more had betrayed her. Leave her there to die. In a way Vesper had done the same thing to him. Only she hadn't gone so far as to marry him in order to do so.

Reaching up he involuntarily clutched his chest; feeling as if his heart was aching for what the young woman had been through. What it must of felt like to have her world torn to pieces in a matter of minutes. As fast as the hurt was there it was soon replaced with a rage so strong he couldn't comprehend it.

At the man who'd broken the spirit of such a beautiful woman not once, but twice. Who'd left her for dead after swearing to protect her with everything in his self for the rest of his life. Just because he'd decided that the CIA didn't pay enough. That he wanted more out of life then serving his country and the love of an amazing woman.

Turning once he had his self composed the young double oh felt his heart swell at the woman sitting on the couch before him. Head cocked to the side as she studied him; probably wondering why he was so quite all of a sudden. Or trying to figure out how he felt about the fact that she'd told him she'd almost taken her own life.

Honestly it shocked him for the simple fact that he couldn't believe someone as strong as her. Someone who'd faced some great odds in the past yet lived to tell about it could break down so rapidly. But as he watched her get up from the couch; stopping in front of him he realized that scared him more than anything.

The thought that she had almost altered the future so that they wouldn't be standing here today about took his breath away. How had he come to care about her so much in such a short amount of time. To the point where he would lay down his life regardless of whether or not it was his job.

"Bond this is usually the part where you say something so I know that I didn't completely freak you out with the whole coming close to killing myself thing." Alleria whispered.

Seeing in her eyes as they searched his face how much it meant to her that he told her something; good or bad. Reaching up he gently cupped her cheek; leaning down to place a kiss on her forehead.

"No; you didn't." He assured. "I'm just trying to wrap my head around it all. Around the fact that if you'd done that we would never have met."

"And you wouldn't have been buried in an avalanche a couple of days ago." Alleria pointed out. "I can see how you'd get all teary eyed about **that**."

"Let's not get too carried away." Bond grinned. "It just brings home everything you've been through. And that fact that we would've never encountered each other."

Being weepy wasn't in her nature; never had been but right now she was seriously close to tears as he stood there with his heart in his eyes. Ready to protect her from anything in this world even though he knew she was more than capable of doing so on her own.

And as much as she wanted to give into the urge to let someone else take care of her for once there were more pressing things to deal with. Like the man she'd thought she'd killed but had now come back from the grave it seemed to haunt, kill her, or both. But for just a moment she said to hell with it as she pressed her lips to his; needing that kind of close human contact as the fact of how much this was going to royally suck hit her.

"Sure you're going to be saying that after I tell you what I have in mind?" Alleria questioned.

Unsure of the look that crossed her face Bond didn't know whether or not he should go along with whatever crazy idea came out of her mouth next or protest. She knew these people better than anyone. Knew how they thought as well as possibly what their next move would be. As much as he hated that the roles had reversed in this case it was a welcome change.

"Depends on what exactly that is."

"I was thinking a trip into town was in order." Alleria informed.

"Something tells me this has nothing to do with shopping or sight seeing." James concluded.

Taking the dishes from the food he'd prepared for her back into the kitchen Alleria waited to hear his footsteps before turning from the sink. Best I'm innocent as a lamb look on her face.

"Not entirely." She confessed. "More along the lines of possible breaking and entering."

"This is starting to turn into my kind of vacation." James rubbed his hands together. "Where exactly are we planning our little field trip?"

"Colorado Springs." Alleria answered. "The police station and city morgue to be precise."

"And what exactly are you hoping to find in those two places?" James was pretty sure he already knew but wanted to make certain.

"The fingerprints of the those left behind by the man I believe to be my dear ex-husband." Alleria concluded. "See who exactly were dealing with."

"How precisely do you suggest we get said fingerprints with out leaving all that black ink behind?" James pointed out.

Holding up her finger; motioning for him to give her a moment to chew her food before answering; having raided the cupboards suddenly hungrier then a bear; Alleria went to one of the bags that had been left downstairs in all the craziness over the last several days. Opening up one of the smaller pockets she produced what looked to be a cell phone.

"This little device right here." She leaned against the counter next to him.

"Um, I've got news for you sweetheart but if your planning on talking them to death it's a little late for that." James raised a brow.

Shaking her head she took the piece of equipment back from him. Pushing a button on the side she waited for the screen to light up before placing his index finger on the white backdrop. Watching his eyes widen in understanding as his print came on the screen; followed quickly by his picture and public record information she gave herself a pat on the back for getting one up on the famous double oh seven.

"M gave me this handy little thing before I left along with a few other gadgets; unsure whether or not we'd need them." Alleria offered.

Laughing lightly at the woman's enthusiasm he set the piece of technology aside; pulling her into his arms as he placed a kiss on top of head. All these good feelings could be short lived if she didn't like what they found during their little excursion.

"Something tells me she already knew exactly what you were planning on doing even before you did." James pointed out.

"Yes but that's because as much as I hate it admitting I think that woman can read minds." Alleria confessed.

"Not that so much as she knows you and the way you think." James countered. "And so do I which means I don't have to remind you not to get disappointed if we don't uncover anything on our little road trip."

"Believe me I've already set myself up for that particular scenario." Alleria stood; wanting to take care of the dishes; needing to move; to feel useful. "Given everything that's happened so far it wouldn't be unexpected."

"That's the fun of it though." James grinned.

Seeing the kind of strain just talking about the situation put on her despite his best efforts to lighten the mood Bond wished they didn't have to go through any of this. That he could just snap his fingers and it would all just disappear. Life didn't offer that kind of luxury though; especially for people like them. What had happened to them on the mountain was so much a part of what they did that after a while it became nothing more then something to sneeze at though sometimes one should not.

Neither was what she'd done in order to save his life. Even before their relationship had taken this strange but welcoming turn the young woman had almost given her own self to make sure he made it off that mountain in good health. In all reality it was the reason people like them chose this kind of lifestyle. Not for the recognition or fancy toys they were given. At the end of it all no one but their superiors would know what they'd done. The equipment they were handed taken away to be used on another mission. Only thing that lasted was the knowledge that lives whether they be your countrymen or your allies were safe for another day.

But for her to do the same for him. A man who'd been the bane of her existence from the beginning. Tagging along on what was turning out to not be much of a vacation at her aunts insistence. Most people would tolerate it only to make the duration of their stay in the sleepy little town worth something.

More then that she'd opened her heart; her soul; to him. Giving herself the chance to complete a healing process that had started long ago when she'd decided to live after the betrayal of her now ex-husband rather then taking the easy way out. And in doing so the young woman had given him the chance to deal with his past demons as well. To let the wall of ice he'd built up around his heart melt away with her take no bullshit attitude. With those lavender eyes of hers that would make a man do anything for her with just a look.

Something he'd been accused of doing on more then one occasion to either distract a woman from getting to deep inside his head. Or in the instance of the deceased Ms. Fields; god rest the brave woman's soul; to stop her from taking him back to Britain before he was able to finish his job catching Greene. It had never been his intention that anyone get hurt, let alone killed. But he'd found that his charm was the best weapon in getting what he needed to catch those who wished to do others harm. A way for him to not get too attached to those he used and then abandoned.

After what Vesper had done to him the young double oh hadn't let the consequences of his actions bother him. It was all a means to an end. Another tool in order to get his job done. Then the young woman who'd been nothing more then a data clerk. In Bolivia on orders to bring him home and nothing more had been killed because he'd charmed her so much that she refused to give Greene or his men the information they wanted.

What had transpired on the mountain; what she'd done for him made him afraid that the same thing was going to happen. That when the shit hit the fan; and it no doubt would; she'd do anything and everything to make sure he survived. Including laying her own life down for his. Something her ex-husband would no doubt enjoy every minute of. And no matter how much he told her to do otherwise Alleria was just as stubborn as her aunt. Wouldn't hesitate when it came to the people she cared about. Though he didn't want to seem arrogant he would think the fact that she hadn't shied away from his attempts at affection put him somewhat strongly in that category.

"Okay; you've got that I've been kicked in the balls look on your face again." Alleria settled herself down next to him again.

"Can we please come up with another name for it?" James wondered. "That one makes me cringe."

"How about you look like a kid who just got told there's no Santa Claus?" Alleria offered.

"A little clichéd; but better." James agreed. "At lease you didn't use the Easter bunny."

"And you're stalling." Alleria laid a hand on his forearm. "What's wrong?"

"When we had to jump the cliff in order to get away from the avalanche…you cared my body as far as you could…." James had to pause to get his bearings. "If you wouldn't have done that you might've been able to make it off the mountain before we were buried under all that snow. Before you…"

Unsure of why he was doing this but knowing what he was trying to say Alleria positioned herself at the end of the couch; placing his head on her lap. Lacing the fingers of one hand with his she gently ran the other through his hair, trying to get the double oh to relax. What had happened to her had effected him just as much if not more so because he'd been unable to do anything except leave her life in the capable hands of the doctors.

"Before I ended up in coma." She finished for him. "And you; my dear Bond; want to know why."

"The thought had crossed my mind a time or two over the last couple of days." He confessed.

"Only because you were worried that I'd done it because you used that charm of yours that's known so well for getting woman to do what you want and nothing more." Alleria put it all together.

"Now who's a mind reader?" James quipped.

"Would it really bother you if I answered yes to your question?" Alleria whispered.

"In the tradition of being brutally honest; yes." James answered after a moment. "People who didn't deserve to die. Didn't deserve to be put in harms way have been because of that reason. If the same happened to you…I wouldn't be able to forgive myself. Wouldn't be able to live with that I've done."

"There'd be nothing to live with considering I'd have done whatever it was that got me killed of my own free will." Alleria informed. "While I'm sure Vesper and Ms. Fields were able woman in their own right they allowed themselves to be drawn into the situation. As much as we as people love to blame a lot of our actions on outside circumstances we do have our own brains. Our own ability to make decisions despite outside factors."

When he'd walked into M's office over four days ago the young British man never would've thought he'd find his self sitting in an upscale hotel in the middle of the Colorado Rockies. After having just survived an avalanche mind you; with a woman who most would believe was out of her freaking mind. Willing to give up her life for a man that had sworn to protect it. And all because she found him to actually be a decent human being rather then a cold hearted bastard like most that came across him would guess.

Someone who despite having just come out of a two day comma was willing to get right back into the fray. Ready to stick it to the asshole who'd tried over three years ago to end her life for the first time. Unwilling to let him win even if she had to pay the ultimate price. Not only because of what he'd done to her but what he was planning on doing to thousands of innocent people after he was done playing his sick little game.

"So you're telling me that if Kane managed to get us that you'd sacrifice yourself to make sure I would live; even though there's a huge possibility that he'd kill me any way?" Bond spoke after a moment.

"Has anyone ever told you you have a morbid way with words James?" Alleria stood to put the cell phone size technology back in her suitcase.

"Not morbid just stating the reality of it all." He pointed out.

Shaking her head the young woman couldn't say she blamed him though. From the beginning this whole scenario had been one cluster fuck after another with this moment right now showing as the only peaceful time they'd have together before the shit hit the fan yet again. Horrible as it seemed to those around them who'd never experienced this kind of crazy world of spies and lies it was a concept they couldn't even start to fathom.

Reality was something that though they seemed to escape every time they went undercover catching one traitor or another it was always there. Waiting in the shadows to bit them in the ass the minute the mission was complete. Shoving the faces of those you'd killed in your face. Mocking the fact that whether or not they were evil past the tenth level of hell they were people none the less. With names and faces; sometimes even families.

In the end it was what they did. A duty to protect the place you called home from all enemies foreign and domestic. Or in the double ohs case to protect queen and country. It wasn't always pretty; wasn't always nice but was what people like them were born to do.

Before getting into the spy business as it was called; one always assumed that any regular joe schmo off the streets could be trained to be a covert agent or their countries equivalent. In all reality the exact opposite was true. Powers of observation beyond that of the homemaker or banker you passed on the street. Ability to adapt to any situation smoothly and deftly.

Traits that were all rarely found in one person. Some could be adapted; others molded to make that person into the best operative the agency had ever seen. When that happened the fame if you'd like to call it that; could go their head. In the case of her rat bastard of an ex-husband it had consumed him long ago to the point where he thought he could do whatever he wanted to her or anyone else that stood in his way with no consequences.

So as much as she hated the word reality right now it was the most appropriate given the circumstances. Because in the end James was right; the Irish man would stop at nothing to make sure herself as well as those she cared about were dead and buried before he continued on with whatever he had planned in that twisted little brain of his.

"That doesn't mean we have to give into it." Alleria reminded. "Reality is always there; threatening to break apart the little cocoon we mold for ourselves each time a mission comes to life. But we can also bend and shape it to make the outcome what we want it to be. Or we can just bitch slap it in the face all together and do whatever we see fit in order to stay alive."

"Can I do the same with my take on life and steal yours?" James questioned. "Because it's looking a whole lot better then what I've been able to come up with lately."

"I haven't had the chance to copy right it so go ahead." Alleria smiled as she regained her seat next to him. "You never know though; spend a little more time with me and it might just rub off. No theft required."

"We talking running for our lives bullets flying over our heads kind or something more like this where we get to stuff ourselves silly after arguing over whether we want to watch an action movie or sappy love story?" James wondered.

"Given that I don't see you giving up MI-6 any time soon I would say the former would be a greater occurrence then the latter." Alleria spoke. "But if you plan on sticking around I think we could make the customary fights over movies a tradition."

Pulling her into his lap the double oh held her close; hoping they made it through this long enough for her to make good on that promise. Their discussion about reality came running into the back of his mind once again as they sat their in silence. If by some miracle of chance they made it out of this he was planning on being around a lot longer then she probably thought he would be.

Because he'd gone and done something he told his self he'd never do again….

Bond had fallen in love; this time with not even a chance in high holy hell of getting out with his heart fully intact.


End file.
